Etermar Energia Starts Construction of Prototype for Floating Offshore Platform

23 March 2026

Etermar Energia begins construction of the first small scale prototype of BayFloat. (Image credit: Etermar Energia)

Etermar Energia will build the first small‑scale prototype of BayFloat, BayWa r.e.’s innovative floating platform for offshore wind energy, in Setúbal, Portugal, as part of a pioneering project funded by the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Program (RRP). The construction was officially launched at the beginning of March at Etermar’s facilities in the Port of Setubal and is expected to be completed in July 2026.

BayWa r.e. has contributed a reduced-scale design of its proprietary reinforced concrete semi-submersible floating wind foundation concept (BayFloat) for the development of the prototype.

The 22 MW BayFloat semi-submersible concrete floating wind substructure concept and mooring system design, certified in accordance with DNV-SE-0422:2021-09 “Certification of Floating Wind Turbines” and DNV-ST-0119:2021-06 “Floating Wind Turbine Structures”, was developed to improve project-specific reliability, efficiency, and sustainability. The concept enables adaptation to existing port infrastructure and locally available supply chains, facilitating the industrial deployment of commercial-scale floating offshore wind projects in Portugal and across Europe.

Funded by Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, this innovative structure will be equipped with a multitude of sensors to enable the creation of a digital twin that will monitor the foundation’s real-time geographical position, its interaction with the environment, and its structural behavior during fabrication, launching, and wet storage. The two‑year monitoring period will begin once the foundation is anchored.

According to Luís Machado, Etermar Energia’s Executive Director, “The collaboration with BayWa r.e. is an important step into the future. It harnesses the capabilities of both companies in an effort to develop new technology that is more cost-effective and sustainable for the floating offshore wind energy market. By combining our expertise with BayWa r.e.’s innovative technology, we are confident in our ability to accelerate the deployment of this crucial renewable energy source.”

“We are delighted that Etermar selected BayWa r.e. to partner in this exciting Next Generation EU Project, offering us the unique opportunity to observe and monitor in real time the complete construction, load-out, and interaction of a reduced-scale prototype of our floating wind foundation concept during wet storage in Etermar’s facilities. These learnings will be extremely valuable for demonstrating the design’s constructability and industrialization, addressing the main challenges identified during the concept certification phase, and paving the way for large-scale deployment while contributing to consolidate Etermar’s position in the European offshore wind supply chain,” highlighted Ricardo Rocha, BayWa r.e.’s Offshore Wind Technical Director.

This collaboration will leverage Etermar’s extensive experience in complex maritime engineering and BayWa r.e.’s expertise in the development of renewable energy projects and is a crucial step in demonstrating the feasibility of the concept’s construction and its potential for industrialization, opening the door to large-scale production.

Etermar’s capabilities in the offshore wind industry have been recently demonstrated by its major contract to manufacture and supply over 100 external working platforms. The collaborative approach fostered by the prototype’s construction will be valuable for these projects and will also involve engaging with other entities to gather additional information and expertise.