Industry News: Floatgen Proves the Durability of Floating Wind! 🌬️🌊
Fantastic news from the floating wind sector! BW Ideol’s Floatgen 2 MW floating wind turbine, located at the SEM-REV offshore test site in France, is celebrating eight highly successful years in operation—well beyond its initial 5-year demonstration plan!
Key Performance Highlights:
🔹 Impressive Output: Cumulative electricity production has now surpassed 40 GWh.
🔹 High Reliability: Maintained an average technical availability of over 92% since commissioning in 2018.
🔹 Peak Efficiency: Reached a monthly capacity factor of 61.96% in December 2023.
🔹 Extreme Weather Resilience: Successfully weathered Storm Ciaran, enduring maximum wave heights of 12.9 meters without compromising production due to floater movement.
Installed on BW Ideol’s innovative concrete Damping Pool foundation, Floatgen has recently been granted a five-year operation extension. The unit was assessed and cleared to remain offshore without major maintenance, proving the long-term viability of the technology.
Beyond its technical success, Floatgen is a benchmark for local supply chain integration, with its foundation built just 40km away in Saint-Nazaire, creating direct local jobs and supporting regional suppliers.
At SFSS, we celebrate milestones like this that demonstrate the resilience, efficiency, and commercial viability of floating solutions. The data gathered from Floatgen will continue to optimize the future of the floating wind industry!
📖 Read the full article here: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2026/08/28/bw-ideols-eight-year-old-floatgen-turbine-produces-40-gwh
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