The turbine is being being developed by French firms Nénuphar and EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN).
The change in capacity is a result of the general optimisation of the design, said Charles Smadja, Nénuphar's CEO. "We realised that with the same floater we can have a higher-rated turbine," he explained.
The performance of the onshore prototype at Fos-sur-Mer "is exactly as calculated and even a bit better," Smadja added. All being well, an offshore prototype will be installed at the Mistral test site in the Mediterranean in 2016.
The consortium then plans a pilot farm of 13 turbines (34MW), dubbed Provence Grand Large, 17 kilometres offshore sometime after 2017. They hope to obtain the necessary permits by the end of this year.
Depending on the terms, the consortium may submit the project in response to the government's call for expressions of interest for floating pilot farms expected next June.
