TAILWIND partners meet in Bilbao to sharpen project plans

The TAILWIND consortium met in Bilbao for its third General Assembly, bringing partners together at a key stage in the project. Hosted by Fundación Tecnalia at the Parque Científico y Tecnológico of Bilbao, the meeting focused on how TAILWIND’s solutions can be adapted to different offshore environments and operational conditions. As lead partner for deployment scenarios, Tecnalia welcomed the consortium for two days of technical discussion, coordination and planning.

“Bringing the consortium together in Bilbao was an important moment for the project” said Aligi Foglia of NGI, TAILWIND project coordinators “It gave us the opportunity to compare perspectives across the different project activities, draw on the expertise of new partners and keep our technical work closely connected to the realities of floating offshore wind deployment”

The assembly also marked the first in-person meeting with new project partner University of Porto, while TTI Testing (UK) joined remotely: their involvement adds further expertise and opportunities to advance offshore wind technologies. Across the programme, partners shared recent progress and worked through the technical and operational questions that will shape the next phase of the project. Discussions focused on ensuring a consistent approach across all activities while refining the methods needed to support efficient and environmentally friendly station-keeping systems for floating offshore wind.

The meeting closed with a site visit organised by Tecnalia, giving partners a closer look at the Basque headquarters facilities supporting the development and testing of offshore technologies. Participants visited the chain fatigue test facility, where mooring lines are exposed to extreme stress conditions to assess their durability, and the HarshLab workshop, where Tecnalia’s floating laboratory was conceived and designed.

By the end of the two working days, the consortium had a clearer roadmap for the next stage of the project and a stronger shared basis for moving TAILWIND’s solutions towards deployment over the next two years.