PivotBuoy floating wind platform assembly nearing completion

A Vestas V29 wind turbine nacelle has been installed on the PivotBuoy floater at the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and the structure is now only a few steps away from the commissioning phase at the PLOCAN test site in the Canary Islands.

The assembly operations started in December 2020 at Hidramar shipyard and last week the Vestas V29 nacelle was installed on top of the PivotBuoy while the platform was still onshore.

The blades will be installed after the load-out of the platform while it is still docked at quayside, allowing the operation to be performed by regular onshore cranes instead of heavy lift vessels normally needed to install offshore wind turbines.

X1 Wind, the company leading the PivotBuoy project, said that its engineers worked in close cooperation with Hidramar technical office and workshop personnel, to oversee all assembly operations and gather know-how and feedback from the assembly strategy.

The PivotBuoy project aims to demonstrate the advantages of the platform by testing a 1:3 scale prototype with a Vestas V29 turbine adapted in a downwind configuration in real operational conditions. The c

The consortium behind the project comprises nine partners: X1Wind, ESM, WavEC, PLOCAN, INTECSEA, EDP, DTU, DNV GL, and DEGIMA.