Floatgen Project

When Floatgen was launched 22 kilometers off the coast of Le Croisic in August 2017, a new generation of offshore wind power emerged: floating wind turbines. Installed at the SEM-REV test site at École Centrale Nantes, France's first floating wind turbine, with a capacity of 2 MW, supplies the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 5,000 inhabitants. Since 2013, this experimental project coordinated by BW Ideol has brought together seven European partners.

Bouygues Travaux Publics built the floating Damping Pool foundation patented by BW Ideol in the port of Saint-Nazaire, using a specific lightweight concrete mix made from porous aggregates. A true technical feat, this square buoy, measuring 36 meters on each side and 9.50 meters high, is made of prestressed concrete and weighs approximately 5,000 tons. The self-compacting concrete is poured evenly using a pumping system. The structure was then floated when the barges on which it was built were ballasted. Connected to the national power grid, Floatgen has been operational since September 2018.