DEMOSATH Project

Ace Coatings is participating with its protection systems in the construction of the world’s first floating concrete platform to house a 2MW wind turbine.

It will be installed two nautical miles (4 kilometres) off the Biscayan coast of Armintza. The platform will supply energy to 2,000 homes and save 5,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The wind turbine is 70 metres high and floats on hollow concrete cylinders.

In the midst of the energy crisis, the Basque Country is launching the country’s first floating wind platform to generate electricity. The pioneering DemoSATH project, in which the Biscayan engineering firm Saitec, the company RWE Renewables and the construction company Ferrovial are participating, consists of a floating structure with a beam of 30 metres and a length of 67 metres. A 70-metre-high wind turbine capable of generating 2 MW of power has been placed on top of it, which will be connected to the electricity grid.

The floating barge is based on SATH (Swinging Around Twin Hull) technology, which consists of a double-hulled barge with two hollow concrete cylindrical floats on the sides. It has a single VER anchor point, allowing it to align itself with the wind direction to make the most of the wind energy at any given moment. Special flexible fibre chains will keep it anchored to a fixed area, but still allow it to move at the mercy of sea currents and wind.

For the protection of some of the parts, Ace Coatings systems were chosen, due to their rapid execution and commissioning as well as their advantages such as total watertightness, forming a continuous sheet with great resistance to wear and tear.

Resistance to micro-organisms, salt water, salt spray and other adverse circumstances requires a powerful and durable coating. Compliance with the most demanding regulations when it comes to off-shore environments requires the use of certified systems and Ace Coatings complies with the highest certifications.