Spain’s first floating offshore wind turbine reaches major milestone with first electricity generation

(WO) – The floating offshore wind project DemoSATH, led by the Spanish engineering firm Saitec Offshore Technologies, in collaboration with the German energy company RWE Offshore Wind and the Japanese company THE KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC. (KEPCO), achieved a significant milestone as it commences electricity generation.

In August, DemoSATH was installed offshore at the BiMEP testing area at Armintza, in the Basque Country. Subsequently, the connection of the existing static seabed cable to the motion-absorbing dynamic cable, and the link to the platform's bow turret, was successfully completed. This achievement enables the transmission of the generated electricity into the electrical grid through the BiMEP substation, converting the force of the wind into clean renewable energy.

The DemoSATH platform, located 2 miles off the Basque coast, features a turbine capable of generating up to 2MW of renewable energy. Its annual production is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 2,000 Spanish households. As a result of this project, floating offshore wind technology is being introduced as a new renewable generation technology in Spain's energy mix for the first time.

The commissioning marks the beginning of a two-year operational period to gather data about the behavior of the SATH technology, developed by Saitec Offshore Technologies, and the monitoring of the systems installed on the platform to understand its interaction with the surrounding ecosystem.

Specialized tools for the identification of birds and bats have been installed, as well as systems for monitoring marine ecosystem biodiversity within the local environment. These monitoring activities will provide insights into the behavior of groups and species around the floating offshore turbine.

Additionally, the project will involve the evaluation of environmentally friendly solutions, custom-designed for SATH, which will aim to support marine biodiversity and enhance fishing resources in floating offshore wind farms.

The DemoSATH project represents a significant milestone in the floating offshore wind industry, becoming Spain's first floating offshore wind turbine to connect to the electrical grid, the 5th European floating technology with a turbine of over 1 MW installed in open sea, and the 3rd concrete-based technology to reach this level of development.