Project partners EDF Energies Nouvelles, Dong Energy and wpd offshore have chosen to demonstrate and install Seatower's patented Cranefree Gravity foundation design at their Fecamp offshore wind project off the coast of Normandy.
Norwegian company Seatower says the Fecamp demonstration project, scheduled for early 2015, is the final step in the company's efforts to move the foundation design to full-scale deployment and industrialization. The Cranefree Gravity foundation is a concrete structure placed on the seabed, an alternative to steel foundations that are drilled into the seafloor. In addition, the company says the foundation is designed for deeper waters, and the "float-out-and-sink" installation method relies on ordinary towing vessels rather than crane vessels.
Seatower says that the new turbine foundation could hold great promise for U.S. East Coast deployment. In fact, the company notes it is currently in negotiations with two unidentified U.S. developers.
"Our technology will ease and speed up the construction of offshore wind farms at a time when cutting costs and risks is necessary to help the sector progress to more challenging project sites," comments Seatower CEO Petter Karal.
