Manufacturing works on DemoSATH, Saitec Offshore’s & RWE Renewables concrete floating wind platform project, are accelerating in the Spanish Port of Bilbao, with the latest milestone being the handling operation of the prototype, Saitec Offshore said Friday.
The SATH Technology floater is based on a twin hull, made of modularly prefabricated and subsequently braced concrete elements. It can align itself around a single point of mooring depending to the wind and wave direction.
Once fully completed, DemoSATH will test SATH floating platform on which a 2MW wind turbine will be mounted, and this will mark the deployment of the first multi-megawatt floating offshore wind turbine connected to the Spanish grid.
In an operational update, Saitec said Friday that the recent handling operation in the Port of Bilbao consisted of lifting, pivoting, and positioning the 6 precast elements that have initially been prefabricated.
These elements compose the floaters of the platform and include four conical elements (two per floater) and two-cylinder elements (1 per floater).
DemoSATH prototype consists of two hulls, each having three prefabricated segments. The positioning and pivoting maneuver of these pieces has been carried out using two cranes with capacities of up to 500 tons, Saitec said.
DemoSATH precast elements
DemoSATH construction and assembly works have been led by Ferrovial since November 2020.
"Since [November 2020], the main milestones of the project include the construction site preparation, intensive campaigns on the dosage of concrete to suit the design requirements, and the completion of the first precast phase, which includes the complete execution of the floats.
"The next phase involves the full assembly of the prototype and the execution of the rest of the elements of the platform. At the same time, new precast phases and movements of large components will be done, such as the installation of the tower and the wind turbine," Saitec said.
Once built, the base of the structure will be approximately 30 meters wide and 64 meters long. The platform will be towed to its anchorage point in a test field (BiMEP) 2 miles off the Basque coast (Spain) where the sea is about 85 meters deep. DemoSATH will have the potential to produce electricity for 2,000 homes.
This project aims to collect data and gain real-life knowledge from the construction procedure, operation, and maintenance of the DemoSATH floating wind platform.
DemoSATH lifting and pivoting operation
Note: The homepage image shows an illustration of a wind turbine installed on DemoSATH platform