Since the project’s first WindFloat unit was installed in 2019, Principle Power has provided O&M services to Ocean Winds, which oversees the asset management of WindFloat Atlantic on behalf of the project consortium.
These services include inspections, maintenance and repair (IMR) activities with integrated engineering support. Additionally, Principle Power has been providing remote monitoring and data analytics services to measure and enhance project performance.
“Together with the WindFloat Atlantic team, Principle Power helps us deliver a high-quality operational service that prioritizes safety and allows us to consistently exceed the production expectations of this pioneering project each year, demonstrating the readiness of floating technology for the commercial scale phase,” said Daniel Ribeiro, Asset Senior Lead Associate at Ocean Winds.
WindFloat Atlantic has exceeded initial power expectations in its first five years of operations, according to its stakeholders, which include Ocean Winds, Principle Power, and Repsol.
The project, located off the coast of Viana do Castelo, Portugal, has also proven highly resilient in extreme weather conditions, withstanding 20-metre waves and wind gusts of 139 km/h without any structural damage.
“The operational success demonstrated at WindFloat Atlantic highlights our proactive approach to operational readiness – anticipating and addressing critical needs earlier in the design process, and planning for operation activities, tools, equipment, and training,” said Clara de Moura Santos, Vice President of Operation & Maintenance at Principle Power.
“We also refine processes for preventative and corrective maintenance, which has a high degree of impact on the project’s efficiency, and positively affects the project’s financial performance across the lifecycle.”
The WindFloat Atlantic project, which consists of three platforms, each supporting one 8.4-MW Vestas turbine, also serves as a research platform for several projects that are advancing IMR operations, including the EU-funded Atlantis project.
Atlantis studies the application of robotic solutions for offshore applications to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE).
Another project is the DOE ARPA-E-funded DigiFloat, an environmental and structural health monitoring system to better model, predict, and improve platform performance.
