Maersk Installs DemoSATH Floating Wind Mooring System Offshore Spain

Maersk Supply Service has completed the installation of the mooring, anchoring, and quick-connect solution for the 2 MW DemoSATH, the first floating wind turbine to be connected to the Spanish grid.

Maersk Mariner installed six mooring lines, comprised of hybrid lines of chain and fibre rope, and six drag anchors at BiMEP test area in early May.

The mobilisation and loading of the mooring lines elements and preparation of the vessel was done at Punta Sollana quay, in the port of Bilbao, where the onshore construction of the floater is currently underway.

The lines will be recovered from the seabed for a plug-and-play connection to the unit later this year.

Spain’s Saitec Offshore Technologies is leading on the development of the project, in collaboration with RWE.

”The installation of the SATH mooring lines worked perfectly. In the future, we will use them in all our commercial projects that are currently in the planning stage. The operations have been a great success since the earliest stage of design and the execution has been outstanding,” said Araceli Martínez, Chief of Engineering at Saitec Offshore Technologies.

The 2 MW turbine will be tested against real sea operating conditions in a harsh Atlantic environment. The test field at BiMEP facilities is located two miles off the Biscay coast where the sea is 85 metres deep. DemoSATH will generate sufficient electricity to cover the energy demand of more than 2,000 local households.

”It is great to see that the DemoSATH project has completed the next step of the offshore works, with the mooring system now in place – an important milestone on our way to the installation and commissioning of the floating turbine later this year,” said Chris Willow, Head of Floating Wind Development at RWE Renewables.

”We as RWE see great potential for floating wind farms worldwide – especially to unlock opportunities in countries with deeper coastal waters. With DemoSATH we are gaining experience with an innovative concrete-based platform technology and are broadening our expertise in this growth market further.”

Meanwhile, the onshore construction of the prestressed concrete floating platform continues at the Port of Bilbao, Saitec said. Works on the transition piece, single point mooring, and boat landing are also carried out as well as installation works inside the floaters. This will be followed by the launching operation to put afloat the platform that will be then transported to its final deployment site at BIMEP.

”With the completion of the installation of the mooring system, the DemoSATH project is ready for the installation of the foundation later this year,” said Yvan Leyni, Director for Floating Wind at Maersk Supply Service.

”We have had good collaboration throughout the process – both in the planning and the execution phase. Engagement of the key stakeholders has been instrumental for the successful completion. With this project, we hope to contribute to the development and maturation of the floating wind industry.”

This project aims to collect data and gain real-life knowledge from the construction procedure, operation, and maintenance of DemoSATH floating wind platform for a period of two years.