BW Ideol’s Eight-Year-Old Floatgen Turbine Produces 40 GWh

BW Ideol’s 2 MW Floatgen floating wind turbine has been in operation for eight years at the SEM-REV offshore test site off Le Croisic, France, with cumulative electricity production now exceeding 40 GWh.

The turbine, installed on BW Ideol’s concrete Damping Pool floating foundation, entered operation in 2018 and has recorded average technical availability of more than 92 per cent since commissioning, according to the company. Its monthly capacity factor reached 61.96 per cent in December 2023.

Floatgen has continued operating beyond its original planned five-year demonstration period. In 2024, BW Ideol announced a five-year extension after assessing the condition of the floating foundation and turbine and determining that the unit could remain offshore without major maintenance work.

The operation extension also aims to support further research and development activities, including the Velella project, focused on optimising the economic and environmental performance of the BW Ideol floater, incorporating a life cycle assessment. Floatgen will also support a Piaff & Co project, which aims to collect data to identify potentially impacted species and their interactions with the wind turbine.

The turbine has operated in severe weather conditions during its offshore service. During Storm Ciaran, Floatgen experienced a maximum wave height of 12.9 metres, with BW Ideol reporting that turbine production was not affected by the movements of the floater.

The project has also set a benchmark for local manufacturing for floating wind, BW Ideol said. Its concrete foundation was built at Saint-Nazaire harbour, around 40 kilometres from the installation site, creating up to 70 direct jobs during construction, and the mooring lines were manufactured in Brittany by LeBéon Manufacturing. According to the company, approximately EUR 20 million was spent with French suppliers.

The Floatgen foundation is based on BW Ideol’s Damping Pool concept, which uses a central moon-pool arrangement to improve the floater’s hydrodynamic behaviour and stability.

BW Ideol has subsequently developed the Damping Pool technology for larger commercial floating wind applications, including standardised foundation concepts designed for serial production.

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