Wind turbines to be installed at the ZÈFIR Test Station offshore wind plant

The Catalan Institute for Energy Research (IREC) has signed a framework agreement for technological collaboration with the wind turbine manufacturers Alstom, Acciona Windpower and Gamesa, who are seeking to have areas set aside for them in the ZÈFIR Test Station offshore wind testing plant, where they can later install their turbines. The plant is the first offshore wind energy experimental centre in Spain and will be located off the coast of Tarragona.

The agreement sees each manufacturer seek a position within the plant, distributed between the two project phases. The signing of the agreement covers all of the phase 1 positions and 75% of the phase 2 ones. It leaves open the possibility of the companies being able to request more areas later, along with other manufacturers who may seek positions to install their turbines. Once all the requests have been collected the IREC will award the definitive positions.

The ZÈFIR Test Station will be an international research facility used for the testing of offshore wind turbines in deep waters, to be located off the coast of Tarragona and constructed in two stages. The first will consist of the installation of a maximum of four wind turbines anchored to the seabed at a distance of 3.5 km from the coast, with a total power output of no more than 20 MW, while the second will involve a maximum of eight floating wind turbines that will be installed around 30 km from the coast, which together will provide a maximum power output of 50 MW.