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WindFloat Atlantic: Platform is operational and providing clean energy to the Portuguese grid

WindFloat Atlantic is the world's first semi-submersible floating wind farm in the world and EDP has just confirmed that it is fully operational and providing clean energy to Portugal's electricity grid. The project belongs to Windplus, which is jointly owned by EDP Renovveis, which owns 54.4%, ENGIE (25%), Repsol (19.4%) and Principle Power Inc (1.2%).

The connection of the last of the three platforms to the power cable that runs the 20 kilometers of distance that separates the wind farm from the station installed in Viana do Castelo, marks the conclusion of the construction of the park. The WindFloat Atlantic, has a total installed capacity of 25MW and should generate enough energy to supply the equivalent of 60,000 users per year, saving almost 1.1 million tons of CO2.

According to EDP, the last platform of the WindFloat Atlantic has been connected to the network and the park is now fully operational. The three units are now starting to inject into the electricity grid in Portugal the energy produced by their 8.4 MW turbines, the largest in the world ever installed on a floating platform.

10 years of project

The project was initiated by the Windplus consortium a decade ago, guaranteeing access to the best offshore electrical resources, which until now were inaccessible. Windplus installed and connected three platforms with success, 30 meters high and a distance of 50 meters between each of its columns and which allow the hosting of 8.4 MW turbines, the largest in the world ever installed on a floating platform.

The technology used is key to the success of the project, highlighting the anchoring, which allows its installation in waters over 100 meters deep, and its design, oriented towards stability in adverse weather and maritime conditions. The project also benefited from the assembly technology: the assembly was made in dry dock, which allowed important logistical and economic savings and made it possible to tow the platforms by normal tugs.

The platforms were built by the two countries of Pennsula Ibrica: two of them in the shipyards of Setbal (Portugal) and the third in the shipyards of Avils and Fene (Spain).

The applied technology and the model developed for the WindFloat Atlantic can now be reproduced in other geographies with deep seas and other adverse maritime conditions for elicaoffshoretraditional technology.

WindFloat foundations also make it possible to host the largest wind turbines in the world, which contributes to increased energy production, promoting a considerable reduction in life cycle costs.