French floating wind outfit Ideol is to extend operation of its 2MW Floatgen demo off France by three years.
The company said it has an agreement with Ecole Centrale de Nantes, which operates SEM-REV test site where the unit is located, to continue running the turbine.
“These 3 additional years will allow Ideol to pursue its research activities in order to further optimise its solution,” said the company.
The agreement comes after Ideol said its 2MW Floatgen demo produced 14% more power in 2020 than in 2019, reaching an annual total of 6.8 GWh.
The unit off Le Croisic also reached a new capacity factor record in February 2020 with more than 66%.
The wind turbine faced “very challenging weather conditions” with maximum wave heights of nearly 11 meters in February 2020.
The company said the performance shows its patented Damping Pool technology is now confirmed.
“At a time when many commercial projects are announced around the world, and in particular the imminent call for tenders for a 250 MW commercial farm in southern Brittany, these new results confirm Ideol’s leadership and its position as a key player in the global floating wind market,” said Ideol.