Gazelle Wind Power has developed a new floating offshore wind platform designed to support turbines rated at 18 MW and above in severe wind, wave and current conditions. The design is being developed with a major Asian utility for a large-scale floating wind project at a typhoon-prone site, with numerical simulations and physical basin testing completed as part of the development process.
The platform's key design feature is its approach to controlling motion without relying on an active ballast system. It combines a central counterweight with three articulated mooring frames and near-vertical mooring lines. The arrangement provides passive restoring forces as wind, waves and currents act on the floater, helping limit platform movement while reducing mooring loads.
For the new 18 MW-plus configuration, Gazelle has introduced a tripod support structure, upgraded the articulated mooring frames and modified the hull geometry. These changes are intended to improve hydrodynamic performance, mooring flexibility and load distribution while reducing structural weight and improving tolerance to damage. The compact configuration also supports modular steel construction and is designed to use existing port infrastructure.
The extreme-weather assessment considered a 50-year design condition with an extreme wind speed of 59.8 metres per second at a 155-metre hub height and a significant wave height of 14.2 metres. Gazelle's simulations showed roll and pitch remaining below 5 degrees, while tower-top acceleration and tower-base loads stayed within the project's design criteria.
Cost reduction is another central feature of the design. Gazelle's preliminary costing indicates potential reductions of up to 44% in capital expenditure and 52% in levelised cost of energy compared with benchmark semi-submersible platforms. The company attributes the potential savings to lower structural and mooring requirements, a smaller footprint, modular steel construction and the ability to use existing port facilities. These figures are company estimates rather than independently verified project costs.
The platform is also designed around simpler logistics and maintenance. Its configuration can support installation using existing infrastructure, while tow-to-port maintenance could reduce dependence on specialist offshore vessels. Gazelle says this approach can reduce offshore intervention requirements and potentially limit downtime during the operating life of a project.
The latest development builds on Gazelle's broader platform architecture, which has been designed around reduced steel use, modular assembly and compatibility with existing port infrastructure. The company has previously said its geometry and passive mooring concept can reduce material requirements while allowing floating wind platforms to be assembled regionally. Its 2 MW Nau Azul demonstrator in Portugal is intended to provide a full-scale, grid-connected demonstration of the technology.
Gazelle and its Asian utility partner have completed a basin-test campaign to compare physical test results with the numerical model and support further calibration. The resulting data will be used in subsequent engineering work as the company develops the platform toward larger commercial floating wind applications.