Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has become a co-investor and strategic partner in the DemoSATH project, a 2MW floating wind demonstration project owned by Saitec and RWE.

This project will draw on KEPCO’s experience and expertise to speed up its progress.

The partnership framework between KEPCO, Saitec and RWE is flexible and open, enabling new innovation opportunities in the offshore wind space.

KEPCO renewable energy division deputy director and executive officer Kazumi Ogura stated: “We will make the most of our expertise to contribute to the success of the project, and we are confident that our participation in DemoSATH will allow us to take a giant step forward in realising our goals and vision [for the] floating offshore wind industry.”

To be located off the coast at Port of Bilbao in Spain, the 2MW demonstration project will be powered by a single 2MW turbine. The assembly of the floating foundation and wind turbines has been completed at the port and preparations are now under way for towing to the site.

The project is expected to begin operations in 2023.

The floating foundation of the turbine has been made from modular, pre-fabricated components. The structure has been designed to have a single point of mooring, able to align to the directions of the current and the wave.

The test site is located two miles (3.2km) from the coast at a depth of 85m. Hybrid mooring lines will be used to anchor the structure to the seabed.

KEPCO is the second partner to have joined the project since 2020, following RWE. The collaboration between the three companies is expected to expedite the commercialisation of floating wind solutions.