Portugal’s WindFloat Atlantic – the world’s first semi-submersible floating offshore wind farm – is now four years old and still breaking its own power output records.
The 25 megawatt (MW) WindFloat Atlantic, which came online in July 2020, was also continental Europe’s first floating offshore wind farm. Its majority shareholder is Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture between Spanish renewable company EDP Renewables and global energy firm ENGIE.
WindFloat Atlantic’s electricity production has steadily increased, reaching 78 GWh in 2022 and 80 GWh in 2023. In July 2024, it recorded a total cumulative production of 320 GWh, providing power annually to over 25,000 households in Viana do Castelo, north of Porto, while preventing more than 33,000 tons of CO2 emissions and creating 1,500 direct and indirect jobs.
The offshore wind farm sits 20 km off the Portuguese coast. It comprises three 8.4 megawatt (MW) Vestas wind turbines that sit on semi-submersible, three-column floating platforms anchored by chains to the seabed. A …