French Floater Sparks Into Life

The 2MW Floatgen wind turbine, the first offshore and floating wind turbine to be installed off the French coast, has produced its first electricity in the port of Saint-Nazaire while undergoing tests.

During the electrical production test on 14 December, the Floatgen turbine produced several hundred kilowatts, enabling the performance of the control configuration to be checked and the safety of the turbine confirmed.

Floatgen underwent a battery of tests, according to LHEEA Centrale Nantes, including the over-speed test, which had the purpose to check turbine shut down in an emergency situation, as well as confirm that the turbine and its foundation are functioning correctly together.

The 2MW Vestas turbine mounted on Ideol’s Damping Pool floating base is now set to be towed to its location at the Centrale Nantes SEM-REV offshore site and then connected to the electricity grid.

Floatgen will be installed for an initial period of two years and the electricity generated will be fed into the national power grid throughout the operational period.