Wind Energy – Mooring Solutions
Belgian company Bekaert will develop new floating wind mooring systems as part of the TAILWIND project.
Floating offshore wind (FOW) can harness stronger and more consistent wind speeds compared to onshore and fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines.
The TAILWIND Project will embrace sustainable-by-design principles to deliver advanced station-keeping technologies.
The TAILWIND project, launched in January 2024, will deliver advanced station-keeping technologies, designed to maintain the position of floating offshore wind energy farms through innovative mooring lines and anchoring systems.
The development of these technologies is critical to open new paths towards the global effectiveness and sustainability of FOW farms, driving tangible cost savings while reducing dependency on primary raw materials.
A global market and technology leader in material science of steel wire transformation and coating technology, Bekaert also develops beyond-steel solutions with its Scottish-based synthetic rope manufacturing facilities.
“I am very pleased that Bekaert is involved in the TAILWIND project that will further enable the growth of floating offshore wind which plays an important role in accelerating the generation of clean, sustainable energy,” states Christof Dewijngaert, General Manager Synthetics at Bekaert.
“With our track record in mooring systems for offshore oil and gas, we are committed to contributing to enabling the scale-up of more optimal station-keeping concepts and systems for floating offshore wind.”
The TAILWIND project, funded by the EU’s Horizon Program, contributes to the goals set by the ‘REPowerEU’ Plan and the ‘Fit for 55’ package, aiming to accelerate the roll-out of renewables, diversify energy supplies and trigger consistent energy savings.