Five years more | BW Ideol gets extension for Floatgen floating wind pioneer

Operations at the pioneering Floatgen floating wind project have been extended for an additional five years after the demonstrator came through three years of tests with an availability (uptime) rate averaging more than 92%, according to floating system provider BW Ideol.

Serving as France's first operational floating wind turbine, the EU-backed Floatgen project was built as a 2MW demonstrator, operating at a water depth of 33 metres at the SEM-REV test site at Le Croisic, France.

Floatgen is equipped with BW Ideol's patented Damping Pool floater system, with hydrodynamic properties intended to optimise sea-keeping capabilities and performance.

"These factors contribute to Floatgen's remarkable availability, averaging 92.18% between January 2021 and January 2024. December 2023 stands out with a monthly production record of 922.026 MWh and a 61.96% capacity factor," BW Ideol stated.

"Initially designed for a 5-year lifespan, the observed results and the current condition of the floater and turbine allow for an additional five-year extension without major maintenance," it continued.

The Floatgen platform was built in Saint-Nazaire harbour in 2016-2017 and commissioned in 2018.

Paul de la Gueriviere, CEO of BW Ideol, commented: "We are proud to announce the extension of our Floatgen pilot, which, after enduring several major storms over the past five years, including a record wave height of 12.9 metres during the Ciaran storm, is still perfectly capable of operating for an additional five years without the need for major maintenance work.

"Owning a full-scale unit like Floatgen is truly a must-have to validate and refine our technology and to conduct research projects. And this is exactly what we intend to do for the next few years."

The extension will also enable BW Ideol to continue research and development projects.

One of these, Velella, aims to optimise the economic and environmental performance of the BW Ideol floater, incorporating a life cycle assessment. Another, a Piaff & Co project, aims to collect data to identify potentially impacted species and their interactions with the wind turbine.

The offshore oil and gas arm of BW shipping group made a strategic investment in Ideol in 2021, acquiring a controlling stake in the French developer of floating wind technology.

Ideol’s former owner Kerogen Energy Fund remained as a stakeholder, as did Noria, a France-based family investment vehicle focusing on climate stability and development of renewable energy infrastructure.