The installation of the full-scale Elisa offshore wind turbine prototype at the Plocan site off Gran Canaria, Spain, has been completed and now the turbine is awaiting the connection to the grid.
The 5MW Elisa self-installing telescopic offshore wind turbine, developed under the EU-funded Elican project, arrived at its designated location on 21 June.
To increase the stability during the transportation and installation of the turbine, an auxiliary flotation system was attached to the unit in May 2018, after the prototype’s nacelle and blades were mounted on the telescopic tower during the previous month.
The Elican project is being carried out by a consortium led by Esteyco, which also includes Siemens Gamesa, ALE Heavylift, DEWI GmbH, and Plocan.
ALE Heavylift has been in charge of the engineering and performing the lifting operations for the telescopic tower and the auxiliary transport and installation platform, as well as the final offshore installation and ballasting operations.
The project has reached its goal of assembling the entire system – including the foundation, tower and wind turbine – and carrying out its pre-commissioning under controlled conditions at the Arinaga port, and then towing it to the site using conventional tugs.
According to Esteyco, this reduces the risks associated with assembly work at sea and can cut installation costs by 30% to 40% compared to existing conventional solutions.
Offshore WIND Staff