The project has a budget of around €18.4 million.
The next phase, pre-trade, foresees the installation of 3-5 towers with 25 5MW Vestas turbines, at an estimated cost of €4.3 million/MW. The commercial phase comes at a cost of around €3 million/MW.
According to Maciel, the site in northern Portugal was selected, "because it is closer to the real conditions of the deep sea, despite the LNEG having suggested a region of the Algarve - where the sea is calmer - for the first phase of testing."
EDP's WindFloat project has been tested in a wave tank since May 2009 and is based on the technology from Principle Power.
The semi-submersible technology had three pillars. One of these held a wind tower, with a 2MW turbine. This technology has the advantage of being fully assembled onshore and subsequently towed to the place where it will produce energy.
