Technip Energies Leads PAREF Project for Innovative Floating Wind Anchoring Systems

Technip Energies, alongside partners Université Gustave Eiffel, Valeco, and OPEN-C Foundation, will lead the PAREF project to accelerate floating wind development. Funded by France's State, the project will design, fabricate, and test a reusable anchoring system for offshore wind turbines with minimal environmental impact. This work will contribute to the NextFloat project, an initiative to test a 6MW floating wind prototype in the Mediterranean Sea, with the goal of advancing sustainable and competitive renewable energy solutions.

The race to develop and deploy sustainable and cost-effective floating wind energy solutions is gaining momentum. With this objective in mind, Technip Energies, in collaboration with Université Gustave Eiffel, Valeco, and the OPEN-C Foundation, is spearheading the PAREF (Project for the Acceleration of Floating Wind Energy) project [1]. Funded by France's State, this initiative aims to design, fabricate, and test a reusable anchoring system for offshore wind turbines, minimizing environmental impact.

The significance of this project lies in the potential benefits it brings to the table. According to a study by Université Gustave Eiffel, mutualized or shared anchors can reduce the mooring system cost by up to 16% in a wind farm of 100 turbines [2]. Moreover, the project contributes to the NextFloat initiative, which seeks to test a 6MW floating wind prototype in the Mediterranean Sea [1].

France, with its abundant offshore wind resources and a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is well-positioned to lead the way in floating wind energy. The PAREF project aligns with this national effort, providing an opportunity to advance sustainable and competitive renewable energy solutions.

Technip Energies' expertise in floating facilities, including pioneering floating offshore wind, positions the company as an ideal candidate to lead the PAREF project. The company is currently executing four large Floating Offshore Wind Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) projects in Europe and South Korea [1]. This extensive experience with floating platforms will be leveraged to adapt the INO15TM floater design and execution plan for US manufacturing and deployment.

The PAREF project's success hinges on the ability to develop and deploy a cost-effective and environmentally friendly anchoring system. This requires a multidisciplinary approach, combining expertise in mooring system design, geotechnical modelling, and material science. The team plans to use a combination of numerical simulations, centrifuge tests on small-scale models, and cost estimation techniques to ensure the feasibility and viability of the proposed anchoring system [2].

In conclusion, the PAREF project, led by Technip Energies and its partners, is a significant step forward in the development of sustainable and cost-effective floating wind energy solutions. By addressing the challenges associated with anchoring systems, this project has the potential to reduce the levelized cost of energy and pave the way for the deployment of commercial-scale floating wind farms.

References:
[1] Technip Energies. (2021, October 25). Technip Energies awarded floating offshore wind readiness prize by US Department of Energy. https://www.ten.com/en/media/news/technip-energies-awarded-floating-offshore-wind-readiness-prize-us-department-energy
[2] Université Gustave Eiffel. (n.d.). Mutualised / Shared anchors for offshore wind farms. https://www.france-energies-marines.org/projets/mutanc/