Principle Power wins French floating wind contract

Floating wind technology specialist Principle Power has been awarded a contract to provide operations and maintenance support for the 30MW Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL) floating offshore wind project in the French Mediterranean.

The agreement, awarded by Ocean Winds, which operates the project in partnership with la Banque des Territoires, covers the three WindFloat floating foundations supporting Vestas V164-10MW turbines. The installation is one of the world's highest-capacity floating wind projects and it boasts the largest turbines deployed on floating foundations to date.

Under the contract, Principle Power will deliver a range of services for the floating substructures, including inspection, maintenance and repair, remote asset monitoring, engineering support and performance analysis. 

The company will also deploy its Asset Hub digital platform, enabling real-time monitoring and data analytics designed to support operational decision-making throughout the project's lifecycle.

Coordinated effort

Operational activities will be coordinated from the project's maintenance base at Port-La Nouvelle in southern France. Ocean Winds currently employs a local maintenance team of six workers who are responsible for the floating platforms and associated infrastructure, including mooring systems and inter-array cables, while turbine servicing continues to be carried out by Vestas. 

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Principle Power has expanded its own French operations to support the project, with France now accounting for almost 30% of the company's global workforce.

The project director of EFGL at Ocean Winds, Jeremy de Barbarin, said: “This contract constitutes a strategic asset for EFGL and strengthens the long-standing relationship between Ocean Winds and Principle Power, which began over 15 years ago, with a six-year long operating expertise build on Ocean Winds’ first floating windfarm 25 MW WindFloat Atlantic. 

"Principle Power will deploy its proven expertise in floating foundation technologies to assist the Ocean Winds team in maximising system availability, reliability and efficiency. This close collaboration in O&M builds on the work Principle Power has already accomplished during the project’s design, construction and commissioning phases.”

Operational excellence

Clara de Moura Santos, Vice President of Operation & Maintenance at Principle Power, said: “This award builds on Principle Power’s operating track record in floating wind and reinforces our role as a provider of integrated O&M support and services. 

"Working with the client, with Vestas, and with project partners, we applied our operational experience from the earliest design stages to address day-to-day asset management requirements and support long-term reliability. 

"During the design phase, Principle Power’s experience across our operating WindFloat projects informed numerical predictions, maintenance strategies, and operational methodologies. Now, the project’s operational learnings will help inform the fourth generation, fully industrialised WindFloat technologies.”

With the addition of EFGL, Principle Power now holds 105MW of operational floating wind capacity using WindFloat foundations. The company says that the floating foundations have collectively generated more than 1TWh of electricity while operating in demanding offshore conditions, including wave heights of up to 20m and wind speeds reaching 214km/h.

The latest contract represents another step forward for France's emerging floating offshore wind industry, which is expected to play an increasingly important role as the country seeks to expand renewable electricity generation in deeper coastal waters where conventional fixed-bottom foundations are not practical. 

It also adds to growing momentum for floating wind projects in other markets, including the UK and South Korea, where commercial-scale developments are moving closer to deployment.