Floating offshore wind offers access to deep-water resources, but investor confidence depends on whether projects can provide predictable costs, manageable construction risk and stable long-term returns. For ECO TLP Inc., foundation design is central to addressing those concerns.
The company’s approach uses standardised concrete foundation systems intended to simplify fabrication and reduce operational costs across different water depths. Its ECO GBS targets depths of 50 to 100 m, while ECO TLP is designed for deep-water applications from 200 to 3,000 m.
Designing around project economics
Offshore projects face many of the same investor questions as onshore renewables: how much will they cost, when will they generate returns and how predictable will those returns be?
Floating wind adds further uncertainty around fabrication, installation and operations and maintenance (O&M). ECO TLP argues that these economic considerations should influence foundation engineering from the beginning.
Its approach concentrates on:
The company uses predictive parametric modelling to connect engineering decisions with fabrication and operational economics.
One approach across different depths
ECO GBS is a slip-formed concrete gravity base structure designed for 50 to 100 m water depths. The company sees this range as an opportunity between conventional monopiles and floating foundations.
ECO TLP, meanwhile, targets depths from 200 to 3,000 m.
Despite serving different environments, the two concepts share fabrication methods, concrete technology, quality assurance processes and elements of the supply chain. ECO TLP argues that this standardisation could allow equipment, suppliers and experienced personnel to move between projects, improving understanding of schedules and reducing repeated engineering and certification work.
The two systems use different configurations: ECO GBS as a gravity-based structure and ECO TLP as a deep-water tension leg platform.
Targeting cost certainty
ECO TLP says its concrete foundation systems are engineered to achieve installed costs comparable with fixed-bottom wind projects when foundations, tendons, anchors, deployment and turbine integration are considered.
The company bases this comparison on its deep-water ECO TLP cost estimates and data for existing bottom-fixed wind farms from the TGS 4C offshore database.
This is a company-specific cost claim rather than independently demonstrated commercial performance, but it illustrates the target: reducing the perceived cost premium associated with deep-water floating wind.
For the ECO GBS, the company also proposes floating the foundation to site with the nacelle and rotor already installed, potentially reducing offshore installation requirements.
Reducing motion and maintenance
Concrete is another important part of the argument. ECO TLP says its foundations are designed for an asset life of 50 years as unpainted marine infrastructure, with low Portland cement content.
The company expects concrete construction to reduce maintenance compared with steel floaters because it does not require corrosion protection or painting. Its design also avoids active ballast systems.
Motion response is intended to reduce maintenance demands on the turbine itself. ECO TLP states that its natural frequency in roll, pitch and heave is above 25 to 30 seconds, beyond the wave-frequency bandwidth, resulting in lower nacelle accelerations and fewer fatigue cycles.
Its analysis indicates that components affected by nacelle-motion fatigue could achieve a fatigue life up to ten times longer than on foundations with natural periods of approximately five to six seconds. Again, this is based on company modelling and will require validation through commercial deployment.
Building towards deep-water deployment
The company’s strategy is to use ECO GBS projects to mature the processes later required for floating wind. Both systems share concrete mixes, slip-form construction, quality assurance, marine operations and parts of the supply chain.
The aim is to establish repeatable manufacturing and installation processes before deep-water floating wind moves towards larger commercial projects.
For ECO TLP, the investment case ultimately comes back to predictability. Foundation technology must not only perform at sea, but also provide credible fabrication schedules, manageable O&M requirements and greater certainty over lifetime costs.
If floating wind is to move into deeper waters commercially, engineering the foundation around those economic realities could be as important as engineering it for the marine environment.
Read the complete Industrial Insight feature from ECO TLP Inc. on concrete foundations, cost certainty and the economics of floating offshore wind in PES Wind: https://pes.eu.com/exclusive-articles/engineering-the-economics-of-floating-offshore-wind