Gazelle Wind Power gets green light to launch floating wind demo

Floating wind developer Gazelle Wind Power has received approval of a 10-year TUPEM (Titulo de Utilizacao Privativa do Espaco Marítimo) authorisation, a key milestone for the Nau Azul demonstrator project in Portugal.

The TUPEM authorisation is issued by Portugal’s Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM), and grants Gazelle Wind Power Portugal, S.A., exclusive rights to occupy a designated area of national maritime space to test its floating wind kit.

According to Gazelle Wind Power, this milestone is a critical step for the 2MW Nau Azul floating wind project, which is situated off the coast of Aguçadoura.

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The project aims to develop and scale Gazelle's platform, while demonstrating a lower levelized cost of electricity for floating wind power.

The platform's design responds to waves through the action of a central counterweight connected to tripodal arms anchored to the seabed. The geometry is such that the platform can move horizontally and vertically to minimise tilting.

According to Gazelle, its compact design enables deployment from shallow ports, which can lower costs and increase efficiency.

Gazelle Wind Power CEO, Jon Salazar, commented in a statement: “This TUPEM authorization marks a major milestone for our business...Securing the TUPEM authorization allows us to launch environmental monitoring and prepare for the installation of our full-scale, grid-connected demonstrator, which will serve as a blueprint for commercial deployments worldwide. It’s a major step forward in our roadmap to commercialization.”

Learn more about Portugal's energy transition

Gazelle is working through the Nau Azul project to support the growth of skilled employment opportunities in the Viana do Castelo area.

Listen to this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, where Pamela Largue speaks to Jon Salazar, Founder and CEO at Gazelle Wind Power, about why he believes floating wind is the natural next step for offshore wind.