Dublin-based floating offshore wind platform developer Gazelle Wind Power is teaming up with Portuguese renewable energy developer WAM Horizon to pilot its platform in Portugal – a country aiming to achieve 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030.

Gazelle says its floating offshore wind platform, which is designed for deep waters, is both modular and scalable, so manufacture and assembly is cost-effective and efficient. Its components are smaller and lighter, reducing the need for space in harbors and shipyards, and that minimizes the need for cranes. Existing port infrastructure can be utilized to develop Gazelle’s platform when it’s commercialized in the future.

Gazelle says it’s “easier and more cost-effective to transport [its] platform to a site than any other floater.” The company says its platform’s geometric design has less than a five-degree pitch, and “a pitch of less than 10 degrees means less wear, less maintenance, and a longer life for the wind turbine generator, which translates into more energy production and greater ROI.”

WAM Horizon, a Portuguese firm, has extensive experience in the region. Adelino Costa Matos, WAM Horizon’s chairman, was involved in Portugal’s first large-scale commercial floating wind project, the 25 MW WindFloat Atlantic, the first of its kind in the country. Matos also serves as a non-executive director on the Gazelle board.

Matos said:

The innovative design behind the Gazelle platform makes it a very promising solution to drive the offshore wind industry into the future, supporting WAM Horizon’s long-term vision to enable offshore wind at a large scale. We are eager to continue working with the Gazelle team to move this pilot project forward and make an impact on the clean energy transition.

Read more: Portugal brings forward 80% clean energy target to 2026 from 2030

Photo: Gazelle Wind Power

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