Brittany-based company Eolink has announced it will launch its first floating wind turbine demonstrator in 2027. The 5 megawatt (MW), 150-metre-high unit will be assembled in Brest before being towed to a test site off the coast of Le Croisic, in Loire-Atlantique. The turbine, featuring an original pyramidal design, marks a significant initiative in the structuring of France’s floating wind power industry.
A four-mast modular design
According to Rudy Vanholme, Head of Engineering at Eolink, the turbine features a quadripod structure enabling better distribution of mechanical loads. The rotor, fixed at the centre of the structure, remains static while the entire platform aligns with wind direction, similar to a moored vessel. This configuration is expected to reduce steel use by 40% and simplify handling operations, according to the company.
Assembly is scheduled to begin later this year within the marine renewable energies industrial zone at the port of Brest. Once operational, the turbine will be the most powerful at the Le Croisic test site, which already hosts a 2 MW floating wind unit commissioned in 2018 by French firm BW Ideol.
Alignment with national objectives
This project comes amid accelerating developments in floating wind initiatives across France. In May, French authorities awarded the country’s first commercial floating wind farm to a consortium comprising companies Elicio and BayWa r.e. The 250 MW site will be located offshore from Belle-Île-en-Mer, with commissioning set for 2031.
The French government aims to achieve 18 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2035 and 45 GW by 2050, up from 1.5 GW currently. Eolink, seeking to position its technology in upcoming tenders, stated it is aligned with the industrial timeline for the initial commercial parks.
