BayWa r.e.: Floating Offshore Wind is Revolutionising Energy
Offshore wind has grown exponentially in the more than 30 years since the first farm was erected off the Danish coast. In the decades since, this corner of renewable energy generation has developed massively in a bid to keep up with the ever-increasing and sheer demand for power, especially the clean kind.
A further leap has been made in the offshore space toward a groundbreaking and more diverse approach to sustainable energy. This comes in the form of an AO5 tender, given by the French government, to enable renewable solutions provider BayWa r.e. and Elicio to develop the world’s first commercial floating offshore wind farm off the Brittany coast.
But how is floating offshore wind changing the renewable energy game?
Floating offshore wind farms
Because wind power is stronger at sea than on land, the development of offshore wind has grown exponentially in recent years. However, McKinsey reported at the end of 2023 that wind — like solar — has seen a decline in growth in Europe and the US, with momentum slowing down.
Most of offshore’s history has seen turbines affixed to permanent, anchored structures, meaning they had to be located somewhat close to shore and away from deep, complex seabed locations.
But that is being overhauled thanks to the advent of floating structures, which wind turbines can on platforms upon. These structures are anchored to the seabed by means of flexible chains and steel cables.
This development in the offshore wind space opens the door to sites further from land where there is higher wind potential.
Floating offshore wind poses a potentially low environmental impact as well as ease of manufacture and installation, this is because floating turbines and platforms can be built and assembled on land before being towed to the installation site.
BayWa r.e and Elicio’s Pennavel project
In a groundbreaking move towards sustainable energy, BayWa r.e. and Elicio’s Pennavel project off the Brittany coast represents a significant milestone in the global energy transition.
The farm is planned to have a capacity between 230MW and 270MW and is expected to supply power to more than 450,000 inhabitants annually, contributing around 30% of Brittany’s current renewable energy production.
Pennavel will be the first commercial floating wind farm in the world to be awarded a long-term Contract for Difference (CfD). The project benefits from a secured grid connection with RTE, the French transmission system operator, who is responsible for the transmission assets including offshore substation and export cables.
This is the second recent success in floating wind in Europe for Elicio and BayWa r.e., following the 960MW Buchan Offshore Wind farm off the north-east coast of Scotland, together with a third partner.
Matthias Taft, CEO of BayWa r.e., said: “We are delighted by the decision of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, which recognises the huge commitment and quality of the work carried out by the BayWa r.e. and Elicio teams. We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with the region and all stakeholders in support of the energy transition.
“It is a proud moment for the consortium, and as we begin a new chapter for BayWa r.e. in the floating offshore industry, we are excited to be working on such a game-changing project, which will act as a reference point for future floating wind farms across the globe.”
Alain Janssens, CEO of Elicio, added: “Armed with our pioneering experience in offshore and building on our successful onshore wind track record in France, we are confident that we will contribute to the success of competitive floating offshore projects in France, combining sound project execution with a unique local footprint.”
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