Ocean Winds has extended its long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) contract with Principle Power for the 25 MW WindFloat Atlantic Project, the world’s first semi-submersible floating wind farm, located offshore Portugal.
Since the project’s first WindFloat unit was installed in 2019, Principle Power has provided O&M services to Ocean Winds, who oversees the asset management of WindFloat Atlantic on behalf of the project consortium.
These services include Inspections, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) activities, with integrated engineering support, to ensure maximum uptime and availability. Additionally, Principle Power has been providing remote monitoring and data analytics services to measure and enhance project performance.
As a result of the close collaboration with the project’s stakeholders, WindFloat Atlantic has exceeded initial power expectations, in its first five years of operations.
The project has also proven highly resilient in extreme weather conditions, withstanding 20-meter waves and wind gusts of 139 km/h without any structural damage, according to developers.
Ocean Winds has also coordinated health and safety for all platform operations with Principle Power, resulting in zero lost time accidents.
The WindFloat Atlantic project also serves as a research platform for several projects that are advancing the IMR operations.
These projects include the EU-Funded Atlantis project, which studies the application of robotic solutions for offshore applications to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE), and the DOE ARPA-E funded DigiFloat project - environmental and structural health monitoring systems to better model, predict, and improve platform performance.
“Together with the WindFloat Atlantic team, Principle Power helps us deliver a high-quality operational service that prioritizes safety and allows us to consistently exceed the production expectations of this pioneering project each year, demonstrating the readiness of floating technology for the commercial-scale phase,” said Daniel Ribeiro, Asset Senior Lead Associate at Ocean Winds.
"The operational success demonstrated at WindFloat Atlantic highlights our proactive approach to operational readiness – anticipating and addressing critical needs earlier in the design process, and planning for operation activities, tools, equipment, and training.
"We also refine processes for preventative and corrective maintenance, which has a high degree of impact on the project’s efficiency, and positively affects the project’s financial performance across the lifecycle,” added Clara de Moura Santos, Vice President of Operation & Maintenance at Principle Power.