Video: Floatgen demonstrator project is extended by five years

Its operator, BW Ideol, said that the decision to extend Floatgen’s operations, which were originally only scheduled for five years, is due to the robustness of its design.

“After enduring several major storms over the past five years, including a record wave height of 12.9 metres during the Ciaran storm, [Floatgen] is still perfectly capable of operating for an additional five years without the need for major maintenance work,” said Paul de la Guérivière, CEO, BW Ideol.

“Owning a full-scale unit like Floatgen is truly a must-have to validate and refine our technology and to conduct research projects. And this is exactly what we intend to do for the next few years.”

Practical solution

Floatgen is a 2 MW demonstrator equipped with BW Ideol’s innovative Damping Pool floater.

Mr de la Guérivière said that the demonstrator shows that floating offshore wind is a ”practical and tangible” solution for supporting electrical supply.

The hydrodynamic properties and sea-keeping capabilities of the BW Ideol floater contribute to Floatgen’s availability, averaging 92.18% between January 2021 and January 2024.

December 2023 stands out with a monthly production record of 922.026 MWh and a 61.96% capacity factor.

This lifetime extension will enable BW Ideol to continue its research and development projects.

For instance, in the environmental sector, BW Ideol’s Velella project, aims to optimise the economic and environmental performance of the BW Ideol floater, incorporating a life cycle assessment.

Additionally, the Piaff & Co project aims to collect data to identify potentially impacted species and their interactions with the wind turbine.

BW Ideol has two full-scale offshore floating wind turbines in operation in France and Japan. It’s supported by BW Offshore’s extensive experience from developing and operating offshore energy production systems.