French floating foundation specialist company Ideol and the China Steel Corporation have announced they will work together on projects aimed at on the Taiwanese offshore wind market.
They will aim to design, engineer and construct floating offshore turbines using Ideol’s damping pool technology to produce foundations that operate depths of more than 30 metres.
The Taiwanese government has launched plans to build offshore wind farms and several have started and are at various stages of development. The projects have depths of between 20 and 60 metres and face difficult seabed conditions.
Ideol produce floating technology that can be built in steel or concrete that work in those depths and the company feels it is well positioned to tap into Taiwan’s specific industrial and environmental conditions.
Ideol chief executive Paul de La Guérivière said: “This collaboration recognizes our capability to compete with bottom-fixed solutions in specific environments. 2016 and 2017 will see the installation of our floating technology in France and Japan. We hope that our collaboration with CSC will lead to the construction and installation of our floater in a third country after 2019.”
CSC vice-commissioner Li-I Wei said: “CSC is looking for the best solution in shallow to deep water depth. IDEOL’s design as confirmed through its partnership with leading stakeholders for the design and construction of two demonstrators can compete with other floating foundation developers.”
Image: Offshore platform (Ideol)
