The DemoSATH project has announced the successful installation of its 2MW floating wind platform demonstrator in open sea waters. The operation, carried out by the Windstaller Alliance, used their anchor handling vessel, the Normand Sapphire, along with local tugboats, to tow DemoSATH from the construction site in the Port of Bilbao to the BiMEP test site, located 11 miles away.Once at the 85-metre-deep BIMEP site, which is 2 miles offshore in the Cantabrian Sea, the hook-up operation involved connecting the six pre-laid mooring lines to the structure’s single-point mooring turret. Works in the BiMEP area are ongoing to finalise the connection of dynamic and static cable and pull-in to the DemoSATH’s turret, which will enable the energy export to the onshore electrical grid. During the 2-year operational period at the BiMEP site, the SATH technology for floating offshore wind developed by Saitec Offshore Technologies will be tested, and the tasks related to its operation and maintenance requirements will be analysed. The project also aims to gain deeper insights into the metocean challenges in open sea, particularly in the harsh conditions of the Cantabrian Sea. Additionally, the collection of data will provide valuable knowledge regarding the coexistence of the platform with the environment and other maritime activities. The DemoSATH project is a cooperation between Saitec Offshore Technologies, RWE, and Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO).
