The 2 MW DemoSATH floating offshore wind platform demonstrator has been installed at the BiMEP test area offshore Spain in the Cantabrian Sea.
Windstaller Alliance carried out the operation and the company used their anchor handling vessel, the Normand Sapphire , along with local tugboats, to tow DemoSATH from the construction site in the Port of Bilbao to the BiMEP test site, located 11 miles (about 17 kilometres) away.
Once at the 85-metre deep BiMEP site, which is 2 miles (approx. 3 kilometres) offshore in the Cantabrian Sea, the hook-up operation involved connecting the six pre-laid mooring lines to the structure’s single-point mooring turret.
According to Saitec Offshore Technologies, works in the BiMEP area are ongoing to finalize the connection of dynamic and static cable and pull-in to the DemoSATH’s turret which will enable the energy export to the onshore electrical grid.
DemoSATH is expected to generate the equivalent electricity needs of 2,000 Spanish households a year.
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.
DemoSATH’s concrete floating foundation, which carries a used 2 MW wind turbine, has been under construction since 2020.
During the two-year operational period at the BiMEP site, the SATH technology for floating offshore wind, developed by Saitec Offshore Technologies, will be tested and the tasks related to its operation and maintenance requirements will be analysed, said the company.
With the installation of the unit now complete, the DemoSATH project will enter a period of commissioning, which will be followed by the operational phase when electricity generation will commence, according to the press release.
The aim of this demonstrator project is to test the technology for its industrialisation for offshore wind farms in deep waters.
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The DemoSATH floating offshore wind platform demonstrator is being developed by Saitec Offshore Technologies, RWE, and Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) who joined the project earlier this year.
“This milestone in the installation of the DemoSATH floating offshore wind project validates the years of steady commitment, resilience, and teamwork. Along the journey we have overcome some challenges that now serve as valuable lessons for future projects. We are proud of the achievements of our team, and the combined efforts of our collaborators. It’s thrilling to witness the DemoSATH project set sail, playing an integral role in the progression of renewable energy,” said David Carrascosa , Chief Operations Officer at Saitec Offshore Technologies.