Gazelle, WAM Join Hands for Offshore Floating Project in Portugal

Ireland firm Gazelle Wind Power has joined hands with developer of renewable energy WAM Horizon.

Ireland’s firm Gazelle Wind Power has joined hands with developer of renewable energy WAM Horizon. The partnership between the two firms will give an impetus to the establishment of a floating wind pilot, off Portugal. Portugal-based WAM Horizon specialises in offshore wind. A holding firm for WAM Investments, which delves into the development of renewable energy assets.

The pilot, off the Aguçadoura coast, will employ Gazelle’s floating wind platform. WAM Horizon will provide services to Gazelle with respect to strategic advisory to support implementation of the project.

WAM Horizon has been instrumental in aiding the toffshore wind industry in Portugal. It has earlier been involved in the 25 MW WindFloat Atlantic Project. This is said to be the first of its kind in Portugal.

“WAM Horizon has exceptional offshore wind experience in the region, making them an ideal partner to support Gazelle’s project and help position our one-of-a-kind platform as the benchmark solution for floating offshore platforms,” said the CEO of Gazelle, Jon Salazar.

WAM Horizon’s Chairman, Adelino Costa Matos, added, “The innovative design behind the Gazelle platform makes it a very promising solution to drive the offshore wind industry into the future, supporting WAM Horizon’s long-term vision to enable offshore wind at a large scale. We are eager to continue working with the Gazelle team to move this pilot project forward and make an impact on the clean energy transition.”

Portugal has set sights on achieving 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by year 2026. Currently, it employs 80% of its electricity from renewable sources. This is among the highest in Europe.

Portugal has one of the highest offshore wind energy potential in Europe. According to an estimate, it has a potential of 131 GW of wind energy: 117 GW in floating and 14 GW in bottom-fixed.