Spanish floating wind specialist Saitec has unveiled plans to develop a pre-commercial, five-turbine floating windfarm in Spanish waters in the Mediterranean
The 50-MW windfarm would use Saitec’s SATH technology and be built offshore Girona, in an area 15 km from Cap de Creus on the Costa Brava in Catalonia.
Saitec said an initial project document for the windfarm has been submitted to the competent environmental body, although the company is already carrying out draft work on an environmental impact study.
“Medfloat Pilot Parc will involve the creation of test infrastructure in the Levantino-Balearic area for testing, demonstration, and validation of SATH technology,” said Saitec.
“It will also demonstrate the technical and environmental feasibility of floating wind energy, and in particular SATH technology, in the Mediterranean.
“At the same time, it aims to become a pioneering project, used to investigate shared use of marine space, such as with fishing and aquaculture.”
The company said the project would also boost employment in the region and supply chain in Catalonia.
The area selected for the windfarm was provisionally defined as a ‘Priority Use Area’ for offshore wind in the Spanish government’s Marine Spatial Plan.
A 2-MW DemoSATH pilot project is currently under construction at Port of Bilbao. The objective of the pilot project, carried out in collaboration with RWE, is to test SATH technology.
The DemoSATH will be installed at the BiMEP test area off the Spanish coast and tested over a period of two years. DemoSATH will be the first floating offshore wind turbine connected to the Spanish grid.
