Floating wind platform innovator Gazelle Wind Power and Tugdock have inked a Memorandum of Understanding, marking the commencement of a collaborative effort to develop a revolutionary modular offshore wind assembly system. Tugdock, heralded for creating the world's first road-transportable floating dry dock, the Tugdock Submersible Platform, brings its groundbreaking technology to the table.
The inaugural venture for this pioneering partnership will be the Molise Offshore Wind Farm project, set to become Italy's largest offshore wind farm situated in the Adriatic Sea. The collaborative technologies aim to facilitate the installation of 70 turbines, with a collective power generation target of 1.05GW. Spanning an expansive area of 219 square kilometers, the wind farm will position turbines in waters ranging from a minimum depth of 88 meters to a maximum of 126 meters.
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Anticipated for launch in January 2028, the first platform is poised to usher in a new era of offshore wind assembly efficiency. Lucas Lowe-Houghton, Chief Revenue Officer at Tugdock, expressed enthusiasm for the groundbreaking collaboration, emphasizing its potential to catalyze innovation and propel the floating offshore wind industry forward.
Gazelle Wind Power's platform design incorporates a patented dynamic mooring system, eliminating pitch and balance movement in response to external forces such as wind, waves, and tide. The modular design allows for scalable and adaptable configurations, rendering it a cost-effective solution for deep water deployment.
Gazelle Wind Power is currently engaged in discussions with several developers, eyeing the potential to secure over 5GW of projects for delivery before 2035. The modular components of Gazelle's offshore wind platform enable cost-effective fabrication in shipyards, with final assembly taking place at an adjacent port, streamlining the deployment process.
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The Tugdock Submersible Platform, a patented technology, overcomes port constraints by providing a build and launch platform for commercial-scale floating wind deployment. The structure integrates a steel frame and patented airlift bags, offering additional buoyancy or acting as a submersible platform for lifting and launching heavy marine structures.
Jon Salazar, CEO of Gazelle Wind Power, underscored the strategic significance of the partnership with Tugdock. He highlighted the streamlined assembly process, emphasizing the cost-effectiveness and safety measures that will drive production rates up and costs down. The collaboration is positioned as a significant stride toward Gazelle Wind Power's vision of becoming the benchmark for Floating Offshore Platforms globally and contributing significantly to net-zero goals.
