A consortium involving French engineering and technology firm Technip Energies (EPA:TE) and Spanish start-up X1 Wind has secured support from the European Commission as part of the Horizon Europe programme for a floating wind project.
The NextFloat project aims to demonstrate a floating offshore wind solution based on X1 Wind's technology and advance the industrial-scale uptake of floating wind. It will see the deployment of a 6-MW prototype at Mistral test site in the French Mediterranean Sea.
The companies said that the grant agreement is currently being negotiated with the European Commission. The project is seen to kick off in the final quarter of this year.
According to the announcement, the X1 Wind concept provides for a lighter floater design with less steel needed and a more efficient and compact mooring system.
The project consortium also features Naturgy, 2B-Energy, Hellenic Cables, Ocean Ecostructures, Schwartz Hautmont, Tersan Shipyard, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Ocas, Hydro and the Technical University of Denmark.
Earlier this year, Technip Energies unveiled the acquisition of a 16.3% holding in X1 Wind.
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