Floating offshore wind platform developers Gazelle Wind Power and Tugdock have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a new modular offshore wind assembly system.
The new modular system will significantly reduce costs and increase the production of floating offshore wind farms.
Gazelle’s platform includes a dynamic mooring system that eliminates pitch and balances movement in response to external forces including wind, waves and tide.
The modular design of the platform allows scalability and adaptation to different configurations, making it an affordable and accessible solution in deep-water deployment.
Gazelle is negotiating with developers to secure more than 5GW of projects to be delivered before 2035.
Due to their modularity, Gazelle’s components can be manufactured at low cost in shipyards then transported to an assembly port.
Tugdock has developed a submersible platform that supports the deployment of commercial-scale floating wind with a build-and-launch platform that overcomes port constraints.
The structure uses a steel frame and airlift bags to provide additional buoyancy, or acts as a submersible platform to lift or launch heavy marine structures.
Gazelle Wind Power CEO Jon Salazar stated: “Working with Tugdock, we have the ideal way to assemble our modular platform, using minimal port space. While the Gazelle platform possesses a naturally low draft, there are significant benefits to assembling the modules on the Tugdock platform, which doubles as the assembly fixture and launch method, speeding up platform assembly and getting our platform into the water in a safe and cost-effective way.
“This partnership is driving the production rates up and costs down. Our vision is to be the benchmark for floating offshore platforms across global markets and make a significant contribution to net-zero goals. This new collaboration is a significant step on that journey.”
The two companies will be working on the 1GW Molise wind farm project in the Adriatic Sea offshore Italy.
This project will include 70 turbines and cover 219km². The turbines will be installed in water depths between 88m and 126m.
Gazelle and Tugdock expect their first platform to be launched in January 2028.
