Offshore staff
SWEDEN — Ocean energy developer Minesto has completed the Dragon 12 offshore infrastructure in Vestmannasund, Faroe Islands.
With the successful connection of the export cable on the foundation, the Dragon 12 production site is now ready for power production.
Completion of subsea infrastructure included relocating the pre-installed junction box at the end of the export cable into a frame on the foundation to create the plug-and-play connection with the kite tether.
Additionally, Minesto has executed the launch and recovery system (LARS) for the first megawatt tidal kite Dragon 12, which is rated at 1.2 MW with a weight of 25 tons. The operations developed for the Dragon 4 (100 kW, 2.5 tons) were proven equally effective with the large-scale kites utilizing the same small work vessel.
It was determined the scale-up of the powerplant has not required changes in the smaller Dragon 4 kite operation for launch and recovery when applied to the Dragon 12, which is 10 times heavier, three times larger, uses a longer tether and is installed at larger water depth. Minesto said these changes in the kite parameters proved to be fully manageable with the existing LARS method, thus verifying both technical method and assessments of operating costs.
The LARS was respectively done in less than two hours elapsed time.
“By efficiently launching and recovering the Dragon 12 for the first time, we have now verified the critical Launch and Recovery System. It is satisfactory that the smaller kite operations are proven effective also with large-scale kites”, said Minesto CEO Dr. Martin Edlund. ”A complete run-through of the launch and recovery of the Dragon 12 powerplant over the last 24 hours has successfully verified the core marine operations of our kite-based power plants. This is a truly unique procedure at the core of our competitive LCOE-levels."
The commissioning of the Dragon 12 continues at site leading to the goal of electricity production. Operations of the smaller Dragon 4 power plants will continue in parallel.
Minesto was founded in 2007 and has operations in Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Wales and Taiwan.
01.11.2024
