BW Ideol, a player in floating offshore wind solutions, has introduced a groundbreaking standardized floating foundation product, heralding a new era of efficiency and scalability in the floating offshore wind industry. The unveiling of this innovative product marks a significant milestone in the quest to streamline operations and drive down costs in the burgeoning sector.
Based on BW Ideol's proven Damping Pool solution, which has been successfully deployed in France and Japan since 2018, the universal floating foundation is designed to excel in diverse meteocean conditions prevalent in key floating wind markets. Featuring three product classes tailored to different environmental conditions, the foundation is compatible with all 15MW+ wind turbines currently available, ensuring versatility and adaptability across projects.
Measuring a compact 54 meters with a shallow draft below 12 meters in operation, the new product offers scalability to accommodate the next generation of 20MW+ wind turbines when available. This standardized approach, pre-certified in advance, paves the way for mass production, streamlining manufacturing processes and facilitating multiple project deliveries from the same production line.
BW Ideol has also unveiled a manufacturing line blueprint, designed for scalability and replicability across various port infrastructures, to support the mass production of concrete floating foundations. With a demonstrated capacity to produce up to one floating foundation per week, this blueprint optimizes manufacturing steps while minimizing harbor requirements, ensuring local manufacturing and timely delivery.
Paul de la Gueriviere, Founder and CEO of BW Ideol, emphasized the transformative potential of this standardized approach, stating, “The floating wind market is at a crossroads today: tens of gigawatts will need to be built in the coming years, requiring a change in paradigm from the floating foundation suppliers.” He added, “We believe that adopting an approach similar to that of wind turbine manufacturers is necessary: offering a single and standard product, suitable for all geographies and turbines available on the market, produced in series based on manufacturing line serving multiple projects, so that developers can truly commit and know where they are heading.”
