WindPlus Tabs MHI Vestas for WindFloat Atlantic Offshore Wind Park

WindPlus, a consortium led by EDP Renewables, has signed a firm order with MHI Vestas to provide three V164-8.4 MW turbines for the WindFloat Atlantic project situated near the coast of Northern Portugal.

The 8.4 MW turbines will be the largest and most powerful wind turbines ever installed onto a floating foundation at sea.

“This firm order confirms MHI Vestas’ leadership in floating offshore wind,” said MHI Vestas CEO, Philippe Kavafyan. “Building on our experience with WindPlus and Principle Power Inc. dating back to 2011, we’re particularly pleased that WindFloat Atlantic will feature three of our V164-8.4 MW turbines, the largest and most powerful turbines ever installed onto a floating platform.”

While the project will provide enough wind energy to power 18,000 homes in Portugal, its most noteworthy contribution will be the vast storehouse of learnings taken from innovative installation and commissioning techniques, turbine performance, foundation performance, main component interactions, and ultimately, power production.

“Our experience with the semi-submersible floating foundation thus far gives us great confidence in this project,” said MHI Vestas Chief Technology Officer, Torben Larsen. “With floating technology accelerating towards its full potential, this project will provide many critical insights that will be carried forward into future projects.”

The three V164-8.4 MW turbines, with a tip height of 190 meters, will sit atop Principle Power’s triangular, semi-submersible WindFloat foundations and will be positioned 20 km from shore at a sea depth of 100 meters.

The announcement continues a series of industry firsts involving MHI Vestas, including recent news from Germany where the company announced that Deutsche Bucht will be the first offshore wind park worldwide to test the Mono Bucket foundation structure under commercial operating conditions.