DUBAI: Ferrofab FZE (Ferrofab), a UAE-based engineering and manufacturing firm, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with floating offshore wind platform developer Gazelle Wind Power (Gazelle), to establish a Center for Manufacturing Excellence at the Ferrofab Jebel Ali facility in the UAE. This Center is being established to manufacture a Gazelle hybrid modular offshore wind platform, based on Gazelle’s proprietary technology, that can be scaled to support any make and model of wind turbines, including models upwards of 20MW.

Ferrofab boasts a total of 800,000 square feet of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Jebel Ali, which is located approximately 40 km southwest of Dubai. The company has extensive experience in engineering and manufacturing offshore and onshore process equipment and structures for the wind, oil, and gas industries, which will be leveraged to accelerate the manufacturing process for Gazelle’s floating wind platforms and the assembly and distribution to ports worldwide.

Gazelle’s unique hybrid floating wind platform splits the ‘two classical functions’ of buoyancy and stability for a lighter and more agile platform than current market designs and boasts the advantage of faster deployment in deeper waters.

“Based on our past experience in manufacturing offshore structures, Gazelle’s unique floating platform technology is on track to spur the needed evolution of the offshore wind industry,” said Johan Moraes, Executive Director of Ferrofab FZE. “With its innovative design and modular components, the deployment of this solution will be a revolutionary step in the production of renewable energy.”

“Ferrofab has a reputation for engineering, manufacturing, and execution that is needed to bring our technology to the market at the pace we need to address climate change,” said Gazelle CEO Jon Salazar. “While many offshore wind projects originate from the oil and gas industry, Gazelle’s hybrid floating platform is designed solely to accelerate the development of the offshore wind industry and contribute to reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Having a collaborator with experience in both sectors will allow us to deploy our solution and hasten the move to net-zero successfully.”