Japanese Utility Comes Onboard DemoSATH Floating Offshore Wind Project

Outlook & Strategy

August 1, 2023, by Adnan Memija

Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has joined the DemoSATH floating offshore wind turbine project, located in Spain, as a strategic partner and co-investor.

“Our partnership with KEPCO marks a significant milestone for the DemoSATH project. KEPCO’s vast experience and considerable resources amplify our capabilities, bringing a new level of expertise to our collective efforts. This partnership symbolizes not just an alliance, but a shared vision for the immense potential of floating wind energy”, said Immanuel Capano, Saitec Offshore’s CCO.

Saitec Offshore Technologies and RWE Renewables entered into a partnership to develop the DemoSATH project in 2020.

The 2 MW unit using SATH technology will be installed in a test field (BIMEP) which is two miles off the Basque coast, where the sea is 85 metres deep.

Saitec’s SATH (Swinging Around Twin Hull) technology is based on a concrete platform concept with a plug-and-play Single Point Mooring, the same technology used for FPSOs. The base of the structure is approximately 30 metres wide and 64 metres long.

The SATH design allows the pre-fabrication of concrete components and uses a single-point-of-mooring system that allows the structure to yaw around its mooring and passively align itself to the wave and current direction, the developers said.

The aim of this demonstrator project is to test the technology for its industrialisation for offshore wind farms in deep waters.

Once producing electricity, DemoSATH will have the potential to power the equivalent of 2,000 homes.

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The collaboration between Saitec Offshore Technologies, RWE Offshore Wind, and now KEPCO, is said to create an alliance that will drive innovation, accelerate the commercialisation of SATH floating wind solution, and contribute to the transition towards a more sustainable energy future.

“We will make the most of our expertise to contribute to the success of the project, and we are confident that our participation in DemoSATH will allow us to take a giant step forward in realizing our goals and vision at floating offshore wind industry“, said Kazumi Ogura, Kansai Electric Power, Executive Officer and Deputy Director of Renewable Energy Division.