Gazelle Wind Power Advances Floating Platform for 18MW+ Turbines
Gazelle Wind Power, a developer of next-generation floating offshore wind platform technology, has announced the development and testing of a new floating platform design engineered to support wind turbines rated at 18 MW and above in extreme offshore environments. The platform is being developed through Gazelle’s work with a major Asian utility on a large-scale floating offshore wind project at a site exposed to typhoons and other severe environmental conditions.
According to global performance simulations conducted as part of the development program, the new Gazelle platform can support 18 MW+ wind turbines while maintaining controlled behaviour under severe wind, wave and current conditions. Preliminary cost assessments have also indicated significant potential economic advantages, with the design showing approximately 44% lower capital expenditure (CAPEX) and 52% lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE) compared with the benchmark semi-submersible platforms assessed in the study.
The latest configuration builds on the core principles of Gazelle’s floating wind technology. The platform combines a central counterweight with three Articulated Mooring Frames (AMFs), which use near-vertical mooring lines to create a passive restoring force when the platform is exposed to wind, waves and ocean currents.
This approach is designed to control platform movement and mooring loads without relying on an active ballast system. By using passive forces to manage platform stability, the technology is intended to reduce the complexity and material requirements associated with conventional floating offshore wind platforms while supporting the larger turbines increasingly being considered for commercial projects.
For the new 18 MW+ configuration, Gazelle has refined the platform architecture around a tripod support structure, alongside upgraded AMFs and revised hull geometry. These modifications are designed to improve hydrodynamic performance, increase flexibility within the mooring system and distribute loads more efficiently throughout the structure.
The redesigned platform also incorporates measures intended to reduce structural weight and improve damage tolerance. These characteristics are important as turbine sizes continue to increase and floating offshore wind projects move toward larger commercial developments in deeper waters and more challenging environments.
Gazelle’s study evaluated the platform under both normal operating conditions and extreme environmental scenarios, including survival and power-production cases. The assessment focused on a typhoon-prone offshore site characterized by demanding wind and wave conditions.
The selected design conditions included a 50-year extreme wind speed of 59.8 meters per second at a hub height of 155 meters, together with a 50-year significant wave height of 14.2 meters. These conditions were used to assess the platform’s response to severe offshore weather and determine whether its structural and hydrodynamic characteristics could meet the project’s design requirements.
The simulations indicated controlled platform behaviour during these extreme conditions. Roll and pitch angles remained below 5 degrees, while accelerations at the top of the tower and loads at the tower base remained within the project’s established design criteria.
Gazelle said the results demonstrate the potential of its constant-load mooring approach to maintain relatively low platform motions while generating lower mooring loads than a tension-leg platform (TLP). The company also highlighted the smaller floater footprint of its design compared with conventional semi-submersible, barge and spar configurations.
Beyond technical performance, the platform’s economics were examined through a preliminary costing exercise comparing the new design with standard semi-submersible benchmarks. The assessment indicated potential CAPEX reductions of approximately 44% and LCOE reductions of around 52% against the benchmark case.
Gazelle attributed the potential cost advantages to several characteristics of the platform architecture, including reduced structural and mooring requirements, a compact footprint and modular steel construction. The design is also intended to make greater use of existing port infrastructure, potentially reducing the need for extensive new facilities as floating wind projects scale.
Installation and maintenance requirements are another area where the company expects the platform to offer potential benefits. The design supports simpler installation processes and tow-to-port maintenance, which could reduce dependence on specialist offshore vessels. By minimizing the need for complex offshore intervention, the approach could also help reduce maintenance downtime and contribute to higher energy availability over the operating life of a project.
As part of the ongoing development program, Gazelle and its utility partner have recently completed a basin-testing campaign. The physical testing was conducted to compare measured test data with numerical modelling results and support further calibration of the company’s models.
The findings from the basin tests will be incorporated into subsequent engineering stages as Gazelle continues to refine the platform and assess its suitability for large-scale commercial deployment.
Jason Wormald, Chief Technology Officer at Gazelle Wind Power, said the results demonstrate that the company can scale its technology to accommodate the next generation of large offshore wind turbines without simply increasing the size and weight of the platform.
“These results show that Gazelle can scale to the next generation of 18 MW+ turbines without simply making the platform bigger and heavier,” Wormald said. “Even in extreme offshore conditions, the design maintains strong control of motion and structural loads, reinforcing its potential for commercial-scale deployment.”
Jon Salazar, CEO of Gazelle Wind Power, said the company’s technology is designed to reduce the material, infrastructure and cost requirements associated with floating offshore wind.
“With this hugely innovative new 18 MW+ design, we are showing that those advantages can be carried into larger turbines and more demanding offshore conditions,” Salazar said. He added that the cost reductions demonstrated by the new design could support the development of floating wind projects in locations that have historically presented greater technical and economic challenges.
Gazelle will present further information about its new 18 MW+ floating platform design and its development work at WindEnergy Hamburg, where the company is scheduled to exhibit at stand B4.EG.129 from September 22 to 25.
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