Floating Renewables Exploration Platform Launched

Nass&Wind Offshore has launched a floating platform off Saint-Vaast la Hougue (France) to take environmental and technical measurements at sea for marine renewable energy (MRE) projects.

The floating platform, which is 12 meters in diameter, 5.2 meters high and weighs some 70 tonnes, carries a suite of instruments commonly used by Marine Renewable Energies project development experts. Nass&Wind Offshore engineers will observe and analyze the behavior of the platform and the measurement instruments for six months, under the control of a firm of independent experts. The platform will then definitively depart the test site and will be used by Nass&Wind Offshore to accurately characterize the wind resources and sea conditions favorable for the installation of marine renewable energy generation units (offshore bottom-mounted and floating wind turbines, tidal turbines, wave energy projects, etc.).

Nass&Wind Offshore has two goals for the floating measurement platform, which was designed with the financial support of the Brittany Region. The first is to collect accurate and reliable environmental data, which will help limit the technical and financial risks of proposed projects and reduce the cost of the electricity produced. The second objective is to establish partnerships with scientific institutes, university laboratories and environmental organizations interested in conducting experiments and collecting scientific and environmental data.

The platform was designed based on a "lanby" initially used to mark the Ushant traffic separation scheme, a region well known for its difficult navigational conditions. It took a year to design and develop, including six months of restoration and improvements carried out by the Normandy shipyard Manche Industrie Marine (Dieppe). The platform was towed from Dieppe to Saint-Vaast la Hougue by the company Thomas Services Maritimes (Rouen). The marine construction work, including anchoring the platform, was performed by the company Iroise Mer (Plougonvelin), a subsidiary of TSM. The Centre d’Etude et de Pratique de la Survie en Mer (Lorient) provided safety training to personnel for the installation and maintenance of the platform.

According to Romain Baronnet, deputy general manager of Nass&Wind Offshore, "the launch of this highly innovative floating measurement platform is a very important step in our development. This success illustrates a lesser-known facet of our know-how. Once testing is complete and the platform is certified, Nass&Wind Offshore will have a unique measurement system and will strengthen its position as a specialist in marine renewable energy."