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BV approves WindFloat Floating Offshore Wind Turbine foundation

Bureau Veritas (BV) has issued Approval in Principle for the WindFloat Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) foundation. WindFloat is designed by Principle Power and consists of a ballasted floating platform, which supports a multi-megawatt wind turbine generator.

Michele Labrut, Americas Correspondent

April 15, 2016

2 Min Read
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“FOWT technology will help exploit clean renewable offshore wind power. It offers substantial advantages over fixed offshore wind turbines as the entire unit can be assembled ashore and FOWTs can be installed in deep water and areas with varied underwater landscapes. There is also a much lower environmental impact from their installation,” said Matthieu de Tugny, senior vice-president and head of BV Offshore.

The WindFloat is a floating platform that supports a multi-megawatt wind turbine generator. It is unmanned, and carries no significant quantity of pollutant substances. The platform is moored with a three-line catenary mooring system. It is a three-column platform, equipped with a closed-loop ballast system to compensate for changes in mean wind velocity and direction.

A first WindFloat prototype has been deployed in Portugal, 5 km off the coast of Aguçadoura, since 2011. To date the system has produced and delivered over16GWh of electricity to the grid, demonstrating the concept feasibility without significant issues.

Joao Metelo, president and ceo of Principle Power say, “We’re very pleased to receive this endorsement of our technology from such an esteemed body as Bureau Veritas. It’s another important step for Principle Power as the WindFloat establishes its commercial readiness.” 

The second generation of WindFloat technology, addressed by the present Approval In Principle, is intended to be part of a pilot array of floating offshore wind turbines in the French Mediterranean Sea, to be developed by ENGIE and EIFFAGE.

Approval in Principle for BV implies that the design is feasible, achievable, and contains no technological show-stoppers that may prevent the design from being matured and that the design is deemed to be suitable for use in the metocean conditions that the unit facility will be located in.

About the Author

Michele Labrut

Americas Correspondent

Michèle Labrut is a long-time Panama resident, a journalist and correspondent, and has continuously covered the maritime sector of Central & Latin America.

Michèle first came to Panama as a press attaché to the French Embassy and then returned to the isthmus as a foreign correspondent in the 1980s.

Author of Seatrade Maritime's annual Panama Maritime Review magazine and of several books, Michèle also wrote for Time magazine, The Miami Herald, NBC News and the Economist Intelligence Unit. She has also collaborated in making several documentaries for the BBC and European and U.S. television networks.

Michèle's profession necessitates a profound knowledge of the country, but her acumen is not from necessity alone, but a genuine passion for Panama.

In 2012 she was awarded the Order of Merit (Knight grade) by the French Government for her services to international journalism and in 2021 the upgrade to Chevalier grade.

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