The new GenesisHexicon company aims to jointly develop large-scale floating offshore wind projects in South Africa’s deep waters, the project partners said in a statement.
Hexicon’s semi-submersible foundation designs typically feature two turbines installed on a single platform tethered to the seabed by mooring lines.
It is targeting projects off South Korea, Portugal, and Gran Canaria. The developer has also shelved a Scottish demonstration project.
Meanwhile, Genesis has helped develop nearly 500MW of operational onshore wind farms in South Africa, according to “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence, the research and data division of “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç.
Neither partner has stated how much capacity they aim to develop and when. “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç has approached both companies for further information.
South Africa is looking to increase wind power to 15.1% of generation by 2030, according to the latest update of its integrated resource plan. However, the document did not mention offshore wind.
Deep waters off most of South Africa’s coastline would necessitate floating foundations for offshore wind, according to a 2019 World Bank report.
The report’s authors said South Africa’s coast has high wind speeds of over 7m/s, but there are few likely regional development synergies.
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