Mediterranean floating wind platforms launched

The project is owned by a consortium comprising Qair, a French renewable energy company, energy firm TotalEnergies and BW Ideol, on whose Damping Pool design the floating platforms are based. 

THe Damping Pool helps to dampen motion and improves stability.

The Gruissan project will be 18km off the coast of Occitane and is one of the first floating wind projects in the Mediterranean Sea.

The floating structures are 45 metres square and about 17 metres high. They are suitable for water depths of more than 30 metres, and were towed out to the site on the semi-submersible Boabarge 35 by Norway-based BOA Offshore and its ASD tug BOA Brage. Other local tugs also assisted in the transport of the platforms. 

BW Ideol says its designs are suitable for all metocean conditions and are compatible with wind turbines up to 15MW in size, with scalability options for the bigger 20MW ones, which are already being manufactured in China.

BW Ideol also has a manufacturing blueprint that allows mass production of concrete floating foundations with minimal harbour requirements.

The EolMed project comprises three 10MW Vestas turbines on the platforms that float about 55 metres above the sea bed. It is due to come online by the end of this year after a project timeline of about nine years.