X1 Wind has signed an MoU with market-leading mooring line manufacturer – and developer of the world’s strongest cables – FibreMax to boost performance, innovation and sustainability in the floating wind energy sector.

X1 Wind’s disruptive floating wind solution benefits from passive weathervaning and self-orientation capabilities, achieved through the integration of a Single Point Mooring (SPM) system with a small tension leg platform (TLP) mooring system.

The Spanish firm is making rapid progress developing its pre-commercial and commercial units, while its earlier X30 device was recognised as the world’s first fully functional floating wind TLP (Tension Leg Platform) to export electricity.

One of the key benefits of X1 Wind’s TLP is the vertical mooring tendons which ensure a small seabed footprint, enhancing compatibility with other marine activities, like fishing, while also allowing for a larger number of platforms to be placed within a given offshore area – increasing energy capacity. 

The latest collaboration with FibreMax will now explore opportunities to boost performance and sustainability of its mooring configuration with the introduction of synthetic cables, with improved strength, durability, low-weight and no-creep characteristics. Crafted with circular or recyclable materials, FibreMax cables will further enhance the floating wind platform’s green credentials.

Established in 2009, FibreMax is a trailblazing force in the cable industry, and the exclusive creator of the ‘endlessly wound’ cable, boasting unparalleled strength and durability. The firm’s cutting-edge robots expertly wind synthetic fibres around the integrated end-terminations, delivering a cable that is 85% lighter than steel, rust-resistant, maintenance-free, and built to last more than 30 years.

X1 Wind CEO Alex Raventos said the MoU represents a significant step forward in the development of advanced, sustainable solutions for the floating offshore wind industry.

“Partnering with major supply chain manufacturers like FibreMax is of the utmost importance for X1 Wind, as it enables us to design our floating solution with state-of-the-art components and materials that can be mass produced, in this case specifically for our TLP tendons. This MoU not only strengthens our commitment to advancing floating offshore wind technology but also opens new possibilities for innovation and sustainability together with FibreMax.”

FibreMax Director Renewable Energy Sander van Helvoort said the MoU with X1 Wind is an important milestone and FibreMax is very proud to support X1 Wind on their road to commercialising. 

“FibreMax is thrilled about this partnership, as we have built a strong relationship with X1 Wind over the past few years. We are now taking the next step to collaborate even more closely. Both companies are fully committed to advancing innovation, circularity, industrialization, and global supply chain development, with a shared vision that aligns perfectly for FibreMax and X1 Wind.” 

X1 Wind, a developer of floating wind technology, has officially opened a new office in Navarra, which will be responsible for designing and implementing electrical, communication, and control systems for floating wind platforms.

The new offices will primarily host X1 Wind’s electrical department, which includes five electrical engineers led by Adrián Oliva, Electrical & SCADA Manager. Additionally, the offices will include an industrial engineer from the operations department.

Adrián Oliva stated, “The opening of this workspace in Tafalla not only strengthens our commitment to technological innovation but also allows us to leverage local talent and closely collaborate with regional companies to drive the development of floating wind power. At X1 Wind, we are firmly committed to this center as our entire division of Electrical Engineering, Control and  Instrumentation Engineering, Communications Engineering, and SCADA will be developed entirely in the Comunidad Foral.”

The company has chosen Navarra due to its strategic national position and extensive experience in wind energy, with over 50 operational wind farms, mostly onshore.

Located in Tafalla, the new offices will facilitate X1 Wind’s interactions with both public and private entities in the Comunidad Foral for the development of floating offshore wind projects.

X1 Wind’s establishment in the Comunidad Foral has been supported by Sodena, a public entity under the Government of Navarra responsible for attracting investments from outside Navarra.

Alex Raventos, CEO of X1 Wind, expressed, “The opening of our new office in Navarra represents another step forward for the advancement of floating wind power in Spain. This center will not only allow us to collaborate closely with local companies and leverage the vast wind energy experience of the region but also foster the creation of high-quality jobs in areas where such opportunities are typically scarce. We are excited about the support received from the Government of Navarra and Sodena and trust that this alliance will strengthen our goal of promoting technological innovation and energy transition.”

Currently, X1 Wind’s team in Navarra is expanding the network of local companies to collaborate on platform testing, equipment supply, and custom electrical cabinet manufacturing.

Iñaki Larraya Garayalde, Managing Director of Sodena, commented, “The establishment of X1 Wind in Navarra is excellent news as it reinforces the industrial renewable energy sector historically supported by Sodena, which continues to be a priority for this public entity.”

In alignment with this initiative, since 2022, the Government of Navarra has been committed to the political declaration of the “Arco Atlántico de la Conferencia de Regiones Periféricas y Marítimas (CRPM)”. This declaration includes a commitment to promoting offshore wind energy, simplifying project procedures, and facilitating access to funding for R&D projects in this field. Additionally, it proposes creating a macro-region to strengthen this governance structure and urge the Council to grant a mandate to the European Commission for its development.

X1 Wind is a disruptive floating wind technology developer. Based in Barcelona, Spain, the firm’s mission is to provide highly scalable solutions which deliver clean, affordable energy while reducing carbon emissions across the globe. The company’s unique floating wind concept was initially developed by Carlos Casanovas in 2012 while studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before progressing with the patented technology for almost a decade. In recent years, X1 Wind has rapidly progressed its technology, having successfully executed several tank testing campaigns and completed the design, assembly, installation and testing of a full-featured part-scale demonstrator in the Canary Islands. It has recently been selected by the European Commission to deliver the NextFloat and NextFloat+ projects, an ambitious program accelerating industrial-scale floating wind, together with Technip Energies and other industry leading partners. The company has steadily been building a world-class team of experts in the offshore wind industry and related sectors.

The NextFloat+ Project has secured a ‘cornerstone grant’ of €13.4m from the European Commission’s Innovation Fund supporting the industrialisation of floating wind.

The pan-European project aims to accelerate the roll out of the next generation of floating wind technology by boosting competitiveness and scalability.

Led by a consortium formed by X1 Wind, as project coordinator, alongside Technip Energies and NextFloat Plus S.A.S, it will involve the deployment of a 6MW floating wind platform at a test site in Mediterranean Sea.

The pre-commercial prototype, called ‘X90’, will demonstrate a cost-effective integrated system composed of a structurally efficient and lightweight floating platform with a SPM (Single Point Mooring) and a TLP (Tension Leg Platform), greatly reducing the seabed footprint impact.

The cash injection will further advance industrialization and scale-up of the integrated floating wind solution at 20MW+ scale.

X1 Wind CEO and co-founder Alex Raventos said the announcement comes after the X90 platform was granted a Statement of Feasibility and a Statement of Compliance from world-leading independent expert DNV.

“We’re thrilled to receive support from the Innovation Fund” said Mr Raventos. “The grant represents a cornerstone in the fundraising for the NextFloat+ Project, adding to finance already secured through the European Commission under the Horizon Europe program, finance secured through the French Government as part of the France 2030 plan operated by ADEME, plus private funding from partners and shareholders. Crucially, it will provide an opportunity to drive substantial improvements in the competitiveness of floating wind as we prepare for long-term mass deployment in locations around the world.”

The NextFloat+ Project will build on the findings of the PivotBuoy Project, which proved X1 Wind’s innovative technology by successfully deploying a part-scale prototype in the Canary Islands. In particular, it will introduce additional innovations to reduce the LCOE of floating wind and its environmental impact, namely the patented quick-connector system and the installation of a bio-boosting system applied on the floater.

Willy Gauttier, VP Floating Offshore Wind Business Unit of Technip Energies, commented:

“We are thrilled to announce our selection for the NextFloat+ project, an initiative that seeks to propel the pre-commercial phase of a floating wind project and showcase our capacity to facilitate commercial-scale projects in Europe and across the globe. This project presents a singular opportunity to expedite the advancement of sustainable energy solutions and foster the expansion of the floating wind industry.”

The Innovation Fund is financed by EU Emissions Trading System revenues, a ‘cap and trade’ system to reduce emissions via a carbon market. It focuses on highly innovative clean technologies and big flagship projects with European added value that can bring significant emission and greenhouse gas reductions. Sor far, a total of €6.5 billion has been awarded to more than 100 projects spanning across EEA countries.

The NextFloat+ Project was awarded the Innovation Fund grant in the ‘Large-Scale’ call published in March 2023, on the topic of “mid-sized pilots”.

X1 Wind is a disruptive floating wind technology developer. Based in Barcelona, Spain, the firm’s mission is to provide highly scalable solutions which deliver clean, affordable energy while reducing carbon emissions across the globe. The company’s unique floating wind concept was initially developed by Carlos Casanovas in 2012 while studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before progressing with the patented technology for almost a decade. In recent years, X1 Wind has rapidly progressed its technology, having successfully executed several tank testing campaigns and completed the design, assembly, installation and testing of a full-featured part-scale demonstrator in the Canary Islands. It has recently been selected by the European Commission to deliver the NextFloat and NextFloat+ projects, an ambitious program accelerating industrial-scale floating wind, together with Technip Energies and other industry leading partners. The company has steadily been building a world-class team of experts in the offshore wind industry and related sectors.

With over 40 editions celebrated, the ADI-FAD has been promoting the historical Delta Awards award, which recognizes products that exemplify innovative and functional design. Up to 131 products were part of the Delta selection, a public recognition of those products that propose conceptual renovations, bring environmental improvements and provide excellence in both design and manufacturing processes.

The Delta Awards jury has chosen 9 Delta Gold, 20 Silver, 99 Bronze and 3 Mentions. Among the 9 Delta Gold, the PivotBuoy Technology won as the best industrial design in Barcelona in the ‘Outdoor Equipment’ category.

 “The PivotBuoy Technology was awarded because of being an honest solution, easy to maintain, modular and scalable. With a floating structure that allows the platform to weathervane passively, capitalizing the natural forces of the wind in the middle of the ocean, with a minor impact on the fauna and flora.”, claimed the jury.

The PivotBuoy Project, developed by X1 Wind in collaboration with 9 industry and R&D leaders, finalized its offshore demonstration with excellent results that promise to revolutionize the floating wind industry.

The Spanish firm’s X30 platform was tested in full operational conditions at PLOCAN from October 2022 to May 2023. During the 7-month demonstration, the device became the world’s first fully functional floating wind TLP (Tension Leg Platform). The unit fed its electricity to PLOCAN’s Platform via a 1.4km 20kV subsea cable.

X1 Wind CEO Alex Raventos said that the recently published results illustrate excellent performance across a broad range of parameters including platform stability, passive alignment, structural behaviour and power production:

“The PivotBuoy Project marked an important phase in the development of our innovative technology,” he said. “It allowed us to retrieve large amounts of data for a sustained period of time in full operational conditions. This data was collected from multiple sensors installed across the platform through a dedicated and proprietary SCADA called Floating Management System. These findings have provided crucial insights which are now being incorporated into X1 Wind’s ongoing commercial-scale projects, including the NextFloat Project.”

The most striking result is that data showed very good alignment with the wind using its passive orientation system. The platform showed better alignment than publicly available data for traditional active yaw systems for strong winds (>7.5m/s) and similar alignment for lower wind speeds (<7.5m/s).

In terms of power production, energy generated by the modified Vestas V29 – which operates in a downwind configuration – was well aligned with theoretical models, with no sign of power loss or increased 3P vibration due to the tripod shadow. The results confirm that X1 Wind’s streamlined tripod arrangement eliminates the known drawbacks typically associated with downwind operation.

In addition, the platform overcame several harsh storms, with maximum wave heights reaching 6.7 meters, equivalent to more than 20 meters in full-scale. During these extreme events, the unit behaved well with motions and accelerations matching the predictions in simulation models.

Mr Raventos added that the decommissioning process, which was a requirement after the end of the EU funded project in March 2023, also proved the ease of disconnection of its innovative single point mooring system, successfully completing the disconnection, unhook and towing in less than one working day.

“This is another milestone for the industry, especially taking into account that we use a TLP mooring (which provides many advantages but historically was very difficult to hook and un-hook). By proving that our PivotBuoy® mooring system can be easily hooked and unhooked we’ve shown that TLPs can easily be installed, decommissioned or maintained at port in case a tow-to-port maintenance operation is needed. The X30 platform was towed to Araniaga Port for its full decommissioning, removing the key elements for further analysis and offering some parts to the Instituto Técnológico de Canarias (ITC) for educational purposes at its facilities in Pozo Izquierdo. All this learning is key in the development of the commercial scale units” he said.

The PivotBuoy Consortium comprised of nine partners from five different countries (X1 Wind, ESM, WavEC, PLOCAN, INTECSEA, EDP, DTU, DNV GL, and DEGIMA). The project aimed to demonstrate the innovative PivotBuoy mooring system configuration which combines the advantages of a SPM (single point mooring) with a small TLP (Tension-Leg Platform) mooring system, allowing the platform to reach deeper waters and minimizing the footprint and impact on the seabed. The platform validated its lightweight and stable floater, which was easily wet towed by local vessels, simplifying and accelerating the installation process.

X1 Wind is a disruptive floating wind technology developer. Based in Barcelona, Spain, the firm’s mission is to provide highly scalable solutions which deliver clean, affordable energy while reducing carbon emissions across the globe. The company’s unique floating wind concept was initially developed by Carlos Casanovas in 2012 while studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before progressing with the patented technology for almost a decade. In recent years, X1 Wind has rapidly progressed its technology, having successfully executed several tank testing campaigns and completed the design, assembly, load-out, and decommissioning of a full-featured part-scale demonstrator in the Canary Islands. It has recently been selected by the European Commission to deliver the NextFloat project, an ambitious program accelerating industrial-scale floating wind together with Technip Energies and a consortium of 12 partners, to install the first commercial-scale pilot of this innovative technology in the South of France (read more). The company has steadily been building a world-class team of experts in the offshore wind industry and related sectors.

After undergoing a comprehensive series of rigorous evaluations, including meticulous risk assessments and exhaustive studies, the X90 pre-commercial floating wind platform has achieved a significant milestone. World-renowned independent expert DNV has granted the Statement of Feasibility to the X90 platform at the outset of August 2023. This endorsement firmly affirms the integrity and robustness of the groundbreaking design, propelling the project team to continue their dedicated efforts in refining the platform’s design and pursuing its certification.

The X90 design concept had previously demonstrated its capabilities through successfully testing a 1:3 scale floating wind platform at the PLOCAN test site in the Canary Islands as part of the PivotBuoy Project. However, the recent attainment of the Statement of Feasibility for the commercial-size units stands as a step forward on the NextFloat Project, reaffirming the platform’s design with a seal of validation.

The NextFloat Project primary objective is to showcase the floating platform design at full scale, while concurrently making significant strides in industrializing and upscaling the integrated solution up to 20MW+ scale. This endeavor is strategically positioned to align with the ongoing development of commercial floating wind farms across Europe and beyond. The project’s standout feature is the deployment and installation of a pre-commercial 6 MW floating wind prototype at the Mistral test site in the French Mediterranean Sea.

The NextFloat Project was officially launched in Paris in November 2022. This initiative is collaboratively undertaken by a consortium of thirteen esteemed partners hailing from eight countries, with Technip Energies leading as the Project coordinator. Noteworthy contributors include X1 Wind, Naturgy, 2B Energy, Hellenic Cables, Technical University of Denmark, Hydro, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Schwartz Hautmont, Ocas, Tersan Shipyard, Ocean Ecostructures, and Cybernetix. The European Commission’s backing through the Horizon Europe program provides a substantial public funding of 16M€, further bolstered by private contributions from partners and shareholders.

X1 Wind is a disruptive floating wind technology developer. Based in Barcelona, Spain, the firm’s mission is to provide highly scalable solutions which deliver clean, affordable energy while reducing carbon emissions across the globe. The company’s unique floating wind concept was initially developed by Carlos Casanovas in 2012 while studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before progressing the patented technology for almost a decade.

In recent years, X1 Wind has rapidly built a team of now more than 35 experienced experts in the wind and offshore sectors and progressed its technology roadmap, with several tank testing campaigns and the current a part-scale demonstrator under tests in the Canary Islands under real operational conditions. X1 Wind is now backed up by leading industrial and institutional investors such as Technip Energies, Innoenergy and the EIC Fund among others.

On June 29th, 2023, X1 Wind secured the Innovation Award at the prestigious Premios Eolo 2023 for the PivotBuoy Project. Led by the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE), the ceremony was held at the Congreso Eólico Español in Madrid and attended by industry leaders, dignitaries, and politicians including Teresa Ribera, the 3rd Vice-president of Spain and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

The voice of Spain’s wind sector, AEE, has more than 300 member companies representing more than 90% of the market. The Premios Eolo Awards established in 2008 recognizes contributions to promote and share the benefits which wind energy generates in society.

Its Innovation Award forms a central part of AEE and REOLTEC’s (Wind Energy Sector Technology Platform) action line, supporting innovation and development which drives international competition, market globalization, and cost optimization.

X1 Wind secured the accolade for its role, leading the ground-breaking PivotBuoy Project, whose floating platform (X30) became the world’s first fully functional TLP floating wind platform and Spain’s first floating wind prototype to export electricity via a subsea cable.

The project focused on demonstrating the innovative PivotBuoy mooring system configuration which combined the advantages of a SPM (single point mooring) with a small TLP (Tension-Leg Platform) mooring system. This allows the platform to reach deeper waters minimizing the footprint and impact on the seabed. Additional features of the platform include the lightweight and stable floater, which can be easily wet-towed by local vessels simplifying and accelerating the installation process.

X1 Wind Systems Engineering Manager, María Verges, who received the award, said the project not only validated a new structural and mooring configuration but also demonstrated its potential to significantly reduce costs within the floating wind industry.

“We’re thrilled to receive this recognition from AEE and REOLTEC on behalf of the entire X1 Wind team and the PivotBuoy Consortium, together with our extensive supply chain,” she said. “Thanks to the X1 Wind team for their commitment and dedication, which allowed the project to become a reality. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the European Commission and Spanish Government for their support. Together, we have delivered a landmark project for Spain’s floating wind sector, raising the bar and demonstrating the best of Spanish innovation and engineering capabilities. The data collected during the X30 prototype’s operation, including self-alignment, stability, and production, yielded excellent results. These findings have provided crucial insights and are now being incorporated into our ongoing commercial-scale projects.”

X1 Wind members receiving the Award included María Verges, Systems Engineering Manager, Adrián Oliva, Electrical Engineering Manager, and Jorge Casanovas, Offshore Construction Manager.

Supported by €4million from the European Commission H2020 Program, with a consortium coordinated by X1 Wind including leading companies EDP NEW, DNV, INTECSEA, ESM and DEGIMA and world-class research centres WavEC, DTU and PLOCAN, PivotBuoy aims to substantially reduce the current Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) of floating wind. Key advantages of the PivotBuoy system include a reduced floater weight, faster and cheaper installation processes and the ability to reach deeper waters with minimal seabed footprint thanks to the TLP mooring system.

X1 Wind is a disruptive floating wind technology developer. Based in Barcelona, Spain, the firm’s mission is to provide highly scalable solutions which deliver clean, affordable energy while reducing carbon emissions across the globe. The company’s unique floating wind concept was initially developed by Carlos Casanovas in 2012 while studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before progressing with the patented technology for almost a decade. In recent years, X1 Wind has rapidly progressed its technology, having successfully executed several tank testing campaigns and completed the design, assembly, load-out, and decommissioning of a full-featured part-scale demonstrator in the Canary Islands. It has recently been selected by the European Commission to deliver the NextFloat project, an ambitious program accelerating industrial-scale floating wind together with Technip Energies and a consortium of 12 partners, to install the first commercial-scale pilot of this innovative technology in the South of France (read more). The company has steadily been building a world-class team of experts in the offshore wind industry and related sectors.

A pan-European project officially launched on November 18^th in Paris to accelerate the roll out of the next generation of floating wind technology for a competitive, more scalable and industrial deployment.

The ambitious initiative is being led by a consortium of thirteen partners from eight countries including Technip Energies as project coordinator, X1Wind, Naturgy, 2B Energy, Hellenic Cables, Technical University of Denmark, Hydro, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Schwartz Hautmont, Ocas, Tersan Shipyard, Ocean Ecostructures and Cybernetix.

Backed by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe program with public funding of 16M€, plus private funding from partners and shareholders, the project is anticipated to run until 2027.

The project will lead to the deployment of a 6MW floating wind prototype at the Mediterranean Sea, to demonstrate at a relevant scale an innovative integrated downwind floating platform design, while advancing in parallel on the industrialization and scaling-up of the integrated solution up to 20MW+ scale, in preparation of commercial floating wind farms under development in Europe.

This project builds upon previous European Projects such as the PivotBuoy which recently led to the installation of a part-scale prototype in the Canary Islands to validate the technology. Design work for the initial 6MW system is currently underway.

Laure Mandrou, SVP Carbon-Free Energy solutions of Technip Energies, said:

“While the COP 27 just ended, we can only note that there is an urgent requirement for greater climate action and a swift transition to renewables energy. Floating wind is one of the lowest carbon electricity generation systems to meet the energy demand in a sustainable way while inducing better competitiveness, less noise and visual pollution, and less interaction with the users of the maritime domain. The NextFloat Project represents a unique opportunity to test a novel and disruptive version of this technology at full scale, driving cost curve reductions in order to deliver industrial-scale projects at the earliest possible stage”.

Alex Raventos, CEO and co-founder of X1 Wind said:

“After the successful deployment and validation of our innovative low-cost solution in the Canary Islands (PivotBuoy project), the goal now is to scale-up and industrialize the technology in advance of large commercial floating wind projects which will come online at the end of the decade across European, Asian and US waters. This will allow us time to drive substantial improvements in the competitiveness of floating wind as we prepare for long-term mass deployment.”

Jesús Chapado, Head of Innovation of Naturgy, said:

“The major transformation that we are facing in the energy sector forces innovation to be collaborative and open. We need to be capable of generating symbiosis among large corporations like Naturgy, and start-ups, scale-ups, research centres and universities. The Nextfloat project is composed of all these agents and will allow us to learn from the challenges we will face within the project, establish new partnerships and get know-how for the future deployment of commercial floating offshore wind farms in Europe”.

X1 Wind is a disruptive floating wind technology developer. Based in Barcelona, Spain, the firm’s mission is to provide highly scalable solutions which deliver clean, affordable energy while reducing carbon emissions across the globe. The company’s unique floating wind concept was initially developed by Carlos Casanovas in 2012 while studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before progressing the patented technology for almost a decade.

In recent years, X1 Wind has rapidly built a team of now more than 35 experienced experts in the wind and offshore sectors and progressed its technology roadmap, with several tank testing campaigns and the current a part-scale demonstrator under tests in the Canary Islands under real operational conditions. X1 Wind is now backed up by leading industrial and institutional investors such as Technip Energies, Innoenergy and the EIC Fund among others.

X1 Wind’s floating platform (X30) has been successfully installed at the PLOCAN test site in the Canary Islands.

As summer trade-winds abated, a suitable weather window allowed X1 Wind and partners from the EU-backed PivotBuoy Project to complete the installation process, connecting the fully-functional floating wind prototype to the mooring system and dynamic cable pre-installed last June. 

X1 Wind Operations Manager Jorge Casanovas said operations will soon commence collecting valuable data to validate performance in open ocean conditions for the first time.

“As installation work comes to a close another exciting chapter begins for X1 Wind as we prepare for operations to deliver first power to the PLOCAN smartgrid,” he said. “This is the result of a massive team effort, and we would like to extend our appreciation to all project partners and local suppliers who have supported so diligently throughout the build and installation process. We are especially thankful to those partners and suppliers that have played an instrumental role in the final installation phase, developing a ground-breaking mooring, connection and installation solution for our X30 prototype. Now successfully installed, we will begin monitoring the platform in real-time with multiple sensors integrated within our in-house SCADA system.”

The X30 platform has been developed with several key design features to streamline the installation process, including a light-weight and stable floater which can be easily wet towed by local vessels. The PivotBuoy Project focuses on demonstrating an innovative mooring system configuration that combines the advantages of a SPM (single point mooring) with a small TLP (Tension-Leg Platform) mooring system, allowing the ability to reach deeper waters and minimizing the footprint and impact on the seabed.

Fitted with a Vestas V29 turbine, the 1:3 scale prototype has been stationed at a 50m water depth in a downwind configuration, creating a passive ‘weathervaning’ effect that eliminates the need of an active yaw system. The scalability of X1 Wind’s technology will enable the firm to provide platforms for the 15MW scale turbines and beyond and to deploy them at very deep sites.

X1 Wind CEO and Co-Founder Alex Raventos said commercial scale plans are now gathering pace and will leverage the learnings from the PivotBuoy prototype:

“This is a key milestone for our company and for the floating wind sector in general being able to install a floating wind platform using a TLP mooring system and requiring only small vessels. This reduces not only the costs but also the impact on the seabed. Data obtained from the X30 will contribute to de-risk the technology, improve the design, and obtain the certification of our commercial-scale platforms in preparation for upcoming tenders in Spain and other countries worldwide”, he said.

The Barcelona-headquartered company was recently selected by the European Commission to deliver the NextFloat project – an ambitious program accelerating industrial-scale floating wind aiming to install its first commercial-scale platform in the South of France.

After completing the installation, the PivotBuoy project will be tested in fully operational conditions until March 2023, feeding the electricity produced to PLOCAN’s smartgrid, after it has been commissioned. 

The PivotBuoy Project is backed by a €4million grant from the European Commission H2020 Program. Led by X1 Wind the consortium includes leading companies EDP NEW, DNV, INTECSEA, ESM and DEGIMA and world-class research centres WavEC, DTU and PLOCAN.

Executive Board Member of EDP NEW, João Maciel said:

“The World is facing unprecedented challenges. Decarbonization through Renewable Generation will be key. The oceans and the sustainable exploration of offshore renewables are paramount for a greener, decarbonized world. Floating offshore wind has been slowly but steadily showing it is a growth avenue for renewables and promising technologies such as X1 Wind’s are the corner stone for the grand challenge – to accelerate competitiveness of the sector. And we love to see these new projects / technologies coming to life.”

DNV representative, Claudio Bittencourt mentioned the importance of the completion of installation of PivotBuoy.

“The experience acquired so far during design, manufacturing and installation is vital for the consolidation and improvement of the technology. Soon the PivotBuoy project will start providing operational data, following years of work on this innovative technology. This will provide vital support for the next development of the full-scale technology.”

Supported by €4million from the European Commission H2020 Program, with a consortium coordinated by X1 Wind including leading companies EDP NEW, DNV, INTECSEA, ESM and DEGIMA and world-class research centres WavEC, DTU and PLOCAN, PivotBuoy aims to substantially reduce the current Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) of floating wind. Key advantages of the PivotBuoy system include a reduced floater weight, faster and cheaper installation processes and the ability to reach deeper waters with minimal seabed footprint thanks to the TLP mooring system.

X1 Wind is a disruptive floating wind technology developer. Based in Barcelona, Spain, the firm’s mission is to provide highly scalable solutions which deliver clean, affordable energy while reducing carbon emissions across the globe. The company’s unique floating wind concept was initially developed by Carlos Casanovas in 2012 while studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before progressing with the patented technology for almost a decade. In recent years, X1 Wind has rapidly progressed its technology, having successfully executed several tank testing campaigns and completed the design, assembly, load-out, and decommissioning of a full-featured part-scale demonstrator in the Canary Islands. It has recently been selected by the European Commission to deliver the NextFloat project, an ambitious program accelerating industrial-scale floating wind together with Technip Energies and a consortium of 12 partners, to install the first commercial-scale pilot of this innovative technology in the South of France (read more). The company has steadily been building a world-class team of experts in the offshore wind industry and related sectors.