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http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/renewable-energy-news/by-technology/wind/vestas-looks-to-floating-offshore-wind-with-windplus-agreement.html

Wind giant Vestas is to further broaden its reach in the industry via its entrance into the floating offshore market through an agreement signed with WindPlus.

WindPlus, a joint venture company led by the EDP Group with partners including Principle Power, and the agreement will see the first offshore project anywhere in the world that will integrate a wind turbine with a full-scale semi-submersible floating structure.
The WindFloat Project lays the foundations for further development of the offshore sector, both within Vestas and the industry as a whole.
The contract includes the delivery, installation and commissioning of Vestas’ V80-2MW turbine, which will be located off the Portugese coast.
The project will deploy Principle Power’s patented semi-submersible floating structure for offshore wind turbines that it said enable offshore wind turbines to be sited in previously inaccessible locations.
These include in areas where water depth exceeds 50 meters and wind resources tend to be superior.
For major European utility EDP, the offshore wind sector is a key area of its business going forward, its CEO António Mexia said.
‘EDP has selected offshore wind energy as one of its five innovation priorities and the WindFloat is one of the most promising technologies in this area.
‘Pending results of this key demonstration stage, EDP will be better positioned to tackle offshore wind challenges worldwide,’ Mexia said.
For Vestas, it represents a key partnership in a fledgling sector.
Anders Søe-Jensen, pesident Vestas Offshore, said, ‘At Vestas, we are continuously looking into different solutions and materials that will bring even more value to our customers and lower the cost of energy in future offshore wind power plants.
‘In that respect, floating foundations are one of the solutions, along with monopile and jacket foundations, with potential for harvesting wind in deeper water offshore sites.’
WindFloat Specifications
Power rating 3.6-10MW
Rotor diameter 120-150m
Turbine hub height 80-90 m
Turbine nacelle weight 225-315 tonne
Tower weight 180-315 tonne
Hull Weight 1080-1600 tonne
Total Displacement (w/ballast) < 5500 tonne
Hull Draft 20 m
Operational Water Depth > 50 m
Conventional mooring components (4 lines)