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PivotBuoy nearing completion

By: Tom Russell 31/07/2020 X1Wind

General Windfarms

Construction of the PivotBuoy Project is progressing with the manufacturing of the platform to be finished during August. It will be transported to its final destination in Gran Canaria after the summer.

In March, the PivotBuoy mooring system and floating platform design phase was completed and the design was approved by the consortium partners at the Detailed Design Review meeting held at X1Wind offices in Barcelona. After the design was closed, the manufacturing of the PivotBuoy and the floating platform started at DEGIMA facilities in Santander.

For the whole platform, the design has been divided in several subsystems that take into account the handling and transport of each of them. This division will allow the project to avoid high shipment costs on both stages of the transportation: first, from DEGIMA facilities to Santander port, and then from Santander to the Canary Islands.

All subsystems will undergo non-destructive tests before they are ready. Additionally, to verify that all the pieces fit correctly before transport to Gran Canaria, the full platform will be pre-assembled at DEGIMA facilities.

Carlos Casanovas, CTO of X1WIND and technical coordinator of PivotBuoy said: “One of the main challenges of the manufacturing has been to maintain the schedule during the COVID19 Pandemic. Within the project, we have worked with suppliers from all over the world, making the coordination a challenge. With all of us forced to transition to remote work, and the adaptation process this entails on many fronts, it has not been possible to maintain the original schedule. We expect, however, to deliver the finished platform within a reasonable timeline."

The PivotBuoy Project is designed to offer a cost-effective solution for floating wind. This will be done by testing a part-scale platform with a Vestas V29 turbine adapted in a downwind configuration and grid connected to PLOCAN test site in the Canary Islands.

The system combines Single Point Mooring systems (SPM) with Tension-Leg Platform systems (TLP) and a more downwind structural design. X1 stated that this enables a weight reduction in floating wind structures compared to current spar and semi-submersible systems.

The Consortium is formed by nine partners from five different countries: X1Wind, ESM, WavEC, PLOCAN, INTECSEA, EDP, DTU, DNV GL and DEGIMA. The project officially started in April 2019 and will last for 36 months.

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PivotBuoy nearing completion

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