Offshore staff
BARCELONA, Spain — X1 Wind’s X30 floating wind prototype offshore the Canary Islands has produced its first kWh of electricity.
This is the world’s first floating wind platform installed with a TLP mooring system, the company claimed.
First power entered PLOCAN’s offshore platform smartgrid via a 1.4-km subsea cable. The last phase of a test and verification program can now begin, ahead of technology scale-up and certification for commercial-scale projects presently under development.
The X30 platform supports a specially adapted V29 Vestas turbine and ABB power converter. The proprietary SBM mooring design, developed through the EU-supported PivotBuoy project, combines the advantages of SPM and TLP mooring systems.
This allows the floater to weathervane passively and maximize energy yields, with an electrical swivel ensuring electricity transfer without the risk of cable twisting.
In addition, the TLP mooring system reduces the seabed footprint compared to other floating offshore wind designs based on catenary mooring lines, X1 Wind said, minimizing environmental impact while maximizing compatibility with other sea uses.
And the configuration also supports installation in deeper waters.
X1 Wind’s electrical engineering manager, Adrian Oliva, said, “The X30 platform is equipped with all the electrical systems that the commercial platforms will contain, including a commercial turbine, power converter, transformer, slip-ring and dynamic cable as well as our in-house SCADA system with multiple sensors to control and monitor the platform’s behavior in real time. All this data is being fed into our commercial scale design, which is advancing fast working closely with certification body DNV.”
Although the PivotBuoy project closes on March 31, X1 Wind has requested an extension of the testing period until May before decommissioning the prototype.
Technip Energies acquired a 16.3% stake in X1 Wind in early 2022.
03.08.2023
