BISCAY, Spain —Saitec Offshore Technologies and partner RWE have achieved another milestone in the DemoSATH project with the successful completion of the launching operation of the floating unit. The project's installation is scheduled for later this summer.
During the next months, the submarine dynamic cable will be deployed at the installation site and the floater will be towed out to be connected to it, as well as to the mooring lines that were previously installed in late April.
The load-out and launching operations were performed at Punta Sollana quay in the Port of Bilbao (Spain), where the prestressed concrete platform was previously constructed and assembled, and equipped with a 2-MW turbine.
“Once afloat, it took less than 45 minutes to safely berth the DemoSATH wind turbine at quay," said Araceli Martínez, Saitec's chief of engineering. "After the successful completion of the launching in the Port of Bilbao, we are proud to announce that the demonstrator is ready to become the first floating wind turbine to be commissioned to the mainland Spanish Grid during the next months.”
Martin Dörnhöfer, director of floating wind with RWE Renewables, added, “We are glad to see DemoSATH has been launched safely and successfully. This is another important milestone toward the offshore commissioning of the floating turbine later this year. For us at RWE, it is also another milestone on our way to unlock the great potential of floating wind globally, especially in countries with deeper coastal waters, like the US, France, UK, Norway and—certainly—Spain. We aim to have one gigawatt of floating wind capacity in construction or operation by 2030. Jointly with our other pilot projects, DemoSATH enables us to gain early experience for our future developments. Its innovative concrete-based platform further broadens our knowledge on innovative floating wind concepts.”
07.20.2022
