Austrian Consultancy VCE to Support Gazelle’s Floating Wind Pilot in Canary Islands

Irish floating wind platform developer Gazelle Wind Power (Gazelle) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Austrian consulting firm Vienna Consulting Engineers ZT GmbH (VCE) to support its 2MW floating wind pilot project in the Canary Islands.

VCE will provide design services—including load capacity determination, inspection planning, performance assessment, and more—as well as monitoring and analysis for Gazelle’s initial 2MW pilot plant at the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN).

“As we continue our journey to bring our floating offshore wind technology to commercialization, having the expertise of those familiar with designing and monitoring these structures will be vital,” said Gazelle Wind Power CEO Jon Salazar. “With their project development acumen and firm reputation as an authority in structural engineering and plant health monitoring, environmental consulting, structural inspection, and much more, VCE will provide valuable input and insight into making our initial pilot project a success.”

Gazelle has said that its hybrid floating wind platform is lighter and more agile than current designs and also that it boasts the advantage of faster deployment out in deeper waters.

 “Gazelle is providing a unique solution to a widespread problem, namely, how society can take advantage of stronger winds and accelerate renewable energy generation,” said VCE Executive Robert Schedler. “We believe that Gazelle’s innovative floating offshore wind technology will be a key enabler to the offshore wind market and look forward to taking it to the next stage of development.”

Back in December 2021, Gazelle Wind Power partnered up with the Danish offshore support vessel owner Maersk Supply Service to support the development of the floating wind pilot.

The project will see Gazelle’s floating wind platform deployed at the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN), and Maersk Supply Service will provide the project’s engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI), which is expected to be completed in Q2 2023.