Floating wind turbine
Funding of €31-million has been approved for an ambitious four-year floating wind project off Ireland's west coast. Subject to consent, a full-scale floating wind turbine is to be deployed at a test site run by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) near Belmullet in County Mayo by 2022.
The project is led by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in cooperation with SEAI, Saipem and other organisations in France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the UK.
The funding comes from Interreg North West Europe in order to accelerate the adoption of floating offshore wind. The project intends to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness and survivability of offshore wind technology and will also create a supply chain in a region with some of Europe's strongest wind and ocean resources. The project, known as AFLOWT (Accelerating market uptake of Floating Offshore Wind Technology), is the first of its kind at this scale and draws on expertise from across the continent.
Irish Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton T.D. said: “Decarbonising our electricity supply will be crucial to becoming a leader in climate change. We are fortunate in Ireland to have such a fantastic wind energy resource. Almost one third of Ireland’s electricity currently comes from renewables, with wind being the highest contributor. However, we need to step up our ambition in this area and stretch ourselves farther. I welcome this project as an excellent opportunity to further explore the potential of offshore wind.”
Commenting on the reasoning for choosing offshore wind, Oliver Wragg, Commercial Director at EMEC said: “Over the past 15 years EMEC has hosted more ocean energy technologies at its real sea test berths in the UK than any other facility in the world. We have developed a wealth of knowledge and expertise that can now be transferred to the testing and demonstration of floating offshore wind to help it make the most cost effective and rapid transition to commercialisation.”
"EMEC is thrilled that this project will enable continuation of the important work that EMEC has been conducting with SEAI on development of offshore test sites in Ireland over the past four years. If floating offshore wind technology can operate reliably and efficiently on the west coast of Ireland, it will work anywhere. Through this project we hope that the successful technology demonstrations will fundamentally expand the global offshore wind market.”
Jim Gannon, Chief Executive of SEAI said: “SEAI is delighted to be part of the consortium and welcomes this initial step of gaining support from Interreg. We recognise that there are many significant steps to be taken to deliver this ambitious project and we will work with all project partners and local and national stakeholders to maximise local and national benefits. This project will show Ireland’s strengths, not only in terms of its significant wind resources, but also as a responsive, innovative and agile country”.
Stefano Porcari, Chief Operating Officer of Saipem’s E&C Offshore Division and CEO of Saipem SA said: “SAIPEM continues its commitment to diversify its core business to offering modern solutions to the renewable energy market. This project represents for us a unique opportunity to prove our Floating Wind technology in severe environments. This full-scale floating turbine complements SAIPEM sets of integrated services part of the fixed offshore wind capabilities consolidating the pioneering spirit of our company which pushes the boundaries of the Energy Industry a bit further. Together with our consortium partners, we will work on the feasibility and the cost effectiveness of this floating offshore wind project for a low carbon emission energy environment.”
The project will be managed by EMEC from the UK with the initial meeting of partners happening in Dublin. When planning, permits and the supply chain are set up, the floating turbine will enter a year-long test phase at the SEAI site. It is hoped that the testing will prove the technology developed in AFLOWT will be proven that it can work in the harshest of offshore environments.
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