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CTE Wind R&D and Consulting services are the first choice when it comes to foundation design regardless of the WTG-manufacturer, model, size, power or soil conditions. Thanks to internal R&D-Team with senior engineers, holding over 100 years of cumulated experience in the design of wind turbine foundations, nothing is impossible.

La Richardais (FRA) – In 2019 Developers worldwide have globally commissioned a little over 45GW of onshore wind turbines. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the Danish firm Vestas remained this way the world’s leading wind turbine supplier, with Spanish-German wind engineering company Siemens Gamesa a strong second. Chinas manufacturer number one Goldwind was third in the rankings, while US-Leader GE Renewable Energy’s secured its fourth place. Together the top four manufacturers accounted for 55 percent of the market share.

100 years of cumulated experience

This statement applies more or less also to CTE Wind, which calculated, designed and evaluated about 5000 WTG-foundations in 2019 around the globe. Thanks to CTE Wind’s internal R&D, with senior engineers holding over 100 years of cumulated experience in the design of wind turbine foundations worldwide, new turbine models from the top manufacturers as well as less common WTG-models from smaller or local manufacturers are only a little challenge. CTE Wind engineering services lead to state-of-the-art foundation solutions for wind turbines. Regardless of whether it is a prototype, such as GE’s giant 12 MW Haliade X or smaller 1 MW machine, from German ENO or Dutch EWT.

Wooden tower

Also worth mentioning: the different types of towers for wind turbines. Concrete (hollow foundation) and steel towers are well known to CTE Wind. Both tower systems are suitable to be used alone or in combination. Even foundations with wooden towers were calculated and designed by CTE Wind in the past. The sum of all experiences made during the projects since 2003 is the reason why their engineering services in foundation design are the first choice for wind turbine manufacturers, wind park developers and EPC contractors worldwide.

The success story of CTE Wind Ibérica started early in 2018 and had huge positive impact on the entire CTE Wind group. With 100 projects in 3 years the Spanish office designed, value-engineered or peer-reviewed foundations around 3000 wind turbines.

Bilbao, ESP / La Richardais, FRA — It was first the will to show more presence in the Spanish speaking wind energy markets that motivated Alexander MARTIN, CEO of CTE Wind International, to open an office with a «local team» in Spain. The Iberian branch was set up in initially in Basque city Bilbao by gathering a group of experienced engineers both in the wind industry and the Spanish markets, following the CTE Wind main principle of trying to be the best in class. A power move that very quickly proved to be profitable.

Understandably, the beginnings were focused on getting the company acknowledge by the most important players in Spanish and Latin American markets. After many business trips, meetings, presentations and thanks to the market knowledge of CTE Wind Ibérica team members and their reputation, in combination with the CTE Wind brand recognition, the first projects came to CTE Wind Ibérica very soon. Client’s loyalty was only possible thank to the excellent job of the engineering team to fulfill the customers’ expectations in terms of quality and optimization. That is and has be CTE Winds best publicity.

Three years later, CTE Wind is proud to announce the main figures of this short but vertiginous path: The Iberian office performed geotechnical consultancy activities, designed, value-engineered or peer-reviewed foundations for 101 wind farms across 14 different countries together with 36 companies that rewarded CTE Wind Ibérica with their trust. Close to 3.000 wind turbines, from 11 different turbine manufacturers are running smoothly thanks to CTE Winds contribution in the field of foundation design for wind turbines and geotechnical services. CTE Wind wants to thank all of our current clients for their trust during this time. You can rely on us: We share your passion.

About CTE Wind International

CTE Wind Civil Engineering is an international engineering consulting firm specialized in the analysis and design of onshore wind turbine foundations. CTE Wind has been active in the wind energy sector since 2003. As of 2019, CTE Wind has designed, value-engineered or peer-reviewed foundations for over 17,500 turbines in 67 countries. CTE Wind is headquartered in France and has offices in Brazil, Poland, Portugal, Spain, USA and Asia.

The company is a subsidiary of the CTE Group, a consulting firm, specialized in building and civil engineering. The CTE Group was founded in 1965 and today is one of the leaders in the structural engineering sector.

CTE Wind’s engineering team is working on different wind projects in Ethiopia, Egypt, South Africa and Saudi-Arabia. And not for the first time ! The WTG foundation experts can look back on 15 years of project history in these regions.

La Richardais FRA – Wind projects all over Africa and Middle East are ramping up. The Global Wind Energy Council foresees wind energy capacity reaching over 3GW by the end of 2023 in South Africa, but according to the IEA, Sub-Saharan Africa alone offers a wind energy potential of 1,300 GW.

Foundation Expertise

As a matter of fact, CTE Wind has been requested to support different European and Arabian customers for their wind projects in Africa and the Middle East. Projects in South-Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt and Saudi-Arabia are currently in CTE Wind’s pipeline. The engineering office provided many times its wind turbine foundation expertise over the last 15 years in North and South Africa. As of 2021, CTE Wind designed, value-engineered or peer-reviewed foundations of 2700 wind turbines within 76 projects. The services vary from geotechnical consulting, to preliminary and detailed foundation design, as well as forensic engineering for existing wind farms, without forgetting the third-party verification (CAT3) task.

First African Project

CTE Wind has worked regularly in Morocco but also in other countries of Africa and the Middle East.

In 2008 CTE Wind had its first wind project for a project in North-Africa. The expert in foundation design for wind turbine foundations designed gravity bases for 131 Siemens machines in the Tarfaya wind park, located in Southern Morocco. Then came the Ashegoda wind farm in Ethiopia, the Kabertene wind park project in Algeria, the Balikesir wind farm in Turkey and the Nojoli wind park in South Africa

Bigger Wind Parks

In 2016 CTE Wind has been awarded the wind park in Ras Ghareb, Egypt, with 125 wind turbines.

The Ombepo wind farm in Namibia came later. In Saudi Arabia, the trouble shooting work was done successfully for the Dumat Al Jandal wind park with 99 positions. A new project in the country has just been awarded to CTE Wind.

This short list gives a quick overview as to where CTE Wind’s expertise in wind turbine foundation in Africa and the Middle East has been requested.

CTE wind is more confident than ever to work on any wind projects from South-Africa to the Middle East region. Get in touch if you need further information about foundation expertise and services.

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About CTE Wind

About CTE Wind – Experts in Foundation Design World Wide:We serve since 2003 the wind industry as civil / structural engineers for wind park owner, developers and EPC/BoP-contractors. Often also directly for the OEMs. 25000 wind turbines in 73 countries. We provide geotechnical services, preliminary and final designs for wind turbine foundations, repowering and life time extension services.

CTE Wind Ibérica, experts in wind turbine foundation design, in Spain and Latin America, celebrates this year the 5^th anniversary of the company.

CTE Wind Ibérica’s journey began back in June 2017 in Bilbao (Basque Country) and focused its design and calculation work for the Spanish market and Spain based customers operating worldwide. Since then, many customers entrusted the Spanish experts in WTG foundation design with over 225 contracts. Foundations for 4900 WTGs (or close to 20 GW energy output) have been designed, value-engineered or peer-reviewed in 181 wind farms across 22 different countries.

«CTE Wind Ibérica has experienced phenomenal growth in its few years of existence», said Alexander MARTIN, CEO of CTE Wind International. «In the advancement of this growth, we will continue to bring cost-effective foundation design, geotechnical consulting services and exceptional customer service to EPC, CBoP, Developers and OEMs.»

All major turbine manufacturers

In five years of market presence, CTE Wind Ibérica has designed foundation for ten different OEMs: Enercon, Envision, GE, Goldwind, Nordex, NRG Patagonia, Senvion, Siemens-Gamesa, Vestas and WEG. Regardless if the wind turbine had a tubular steel or concrete tower. Noteworthy are the rock anchored foundation design in Mexico or the star foundation (ribbed foundation) in the Gecama wind park project in Spain (see picture).

CTE Wind Ibérica also implemented successfully CTE Wind’s patented Soft-Spot® solution, with most of the above-mentioned manufacturers. Particularly in Spain and Latin America is the low resource foundation a big success.

Active in Wind since 2003

CTE Wind Ibérica, as part of CTE Wind International, is an international engineering consulting firm specialized in the analysis and design of onshore wind turbine foundations. CTE Wind has been active in the wind energy sector since 2003. As of 2022, CTE Wind International has designed, value-engineered or peer-reviewed foundations for over 23,500 turbines in 74 countries. CTE Wind is headquartered in France and has offices in Brazil, Poland, Portugal, Spain, USA and Asia.

The company is a subsidiary of the CTE Group, a consulting firm, specialized in building and civil engineering. The CTE Group was founded in 1965 and today is one of the leaders in the structural engineering sector in France.

From 27 to 30 September 2022, Hamburg will become an energy hub for the world. For four days, at WindEnergy Hamburg everything at the trade show site will revolve around generating energy from wind and its exploitation.

CTE Wind partecipates in Hamburg with an own stand.

Leading business and union representatives provided diverse insights into all areas of the industry, with plenty of facts and figures. So as to cover the huge impending need for renewable energies, they highlighted the significance of personal exchange and knowledge transfer on an equal footing between industry, research institutions and policy

SCHEDULE A MEETING

Alexander MARTIN CEO of CTE Wind International, along with the country Managers, engineering team and sales representatives of de CTE Wind offices worldwide will attend at the largest renewables conference dedicated to the wind energy market in Europe and all over the world. This is an excellent opportunity for interested companies to meet our sales team, learn more about CTE Wind’s expertise in civil engineering and foundations and discuss future collaborations..

Do not hesitate to contact us to organize a meeting.
See you soon in Hamburg.

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Experts in Foundation Design

From 1 to 12 MW wind turbines

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance in 2019 developers worldwide have globally
commissioned a little over 45GW of onshore wind turbines. CTE Wind designed, valueengineered
or peer-reviewed foundations close to 1,500 WTG-foundations around the globe,
which represents around 5 GW of the installed onshore wind energy in 2019. A good result
for the 30 engineers working together worldwide. CTE Wind is an international engineering
consulting firm, headquartered in France, and specialized in the analysis and design of
onshore wind turbine foundations. Its engineering services lead to inventive foundation
solutions for wind turbines. In Rotterdam, they have designed the foundation for GE’s giant
12 MW Haliade X. But they are also with familiar with smaller 1 MW machines carried by
wooden towers. «Thanks to our experienced civil, structural and geotechnical senior
engineers the design of those wind turbine foundations worldwide are only a little challenge
to us», said Alexander MARTIN, CEO of CTE Wind International, «regardless if it is for new
turbine models from the top manufacturers or less common WTG-models from smaller or
local manufacturers», he added.

Biggest wind park in France, Poland and Spain

The sum of all experiences made since 2003 is the reason why CTE Wind’s engineering
team with offices in Brazil, Poland, Portugal, Spain, USA and Asia are often the first
choice for OEMS, wind park developers and EPC/BoP contractors. «That is how we
achieved to do over 17,500 wind turbines in 67 countries and without any failures», continues
MARTIN. One of CTE Winds main goals is to deliver foundation designs that optimizes the
use of resources and help to save concrete and reinforcement steel. Such a solution is the
patented SOFT-SPOT®, a gravity foundation with a soft layer under the anchor cage. Each
project receives an adapted design solution to the specific soil conditions. In Finland CTE
Wind designed a rock anchor solution when its engineers also designed a near-shore
foundation in Asias Mekong-Delta. «The trust of our customers leads us not only to
design special and new solutions but also the foundations for the biggest wind parks in
France, Spain and Poland. We are thrilled when we can play an important role in a wind farm
project. This shows the confidence of our customers in our designs and is also an
encouragement for us to continue to perform well», he ends.

In the last 2 years over 50 project developers trusted CTE Wind’s Soft-spot^® solution. Recently in Spain the expert of wind turbine foundations has won their third project, where the Soft-spot^® solution was implemented.

Bilbao (Esp) / La Richardais (FRA) – CTE Wind Ibérica has won again a contract in Spain to calculate and design foundations with its Soft-spot^® solution. This is an important milestone for CTE Wind International as now three wind farms on the Iberian Peninsula will take advantage of its cost saving design. In addition to these projects, CTE Wind’s clients are also adopting this solution in many other wind farms worldwide. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Lithuania, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, Sweden and Thailand to name a few. Over 50 wind farms around the globe, 750 wind turbines are using this resource saving solution which was introduced a while ago by CTE Wind.

« CTE Wind is proud of the confidence shown by its clients, and especially of the interest on applying the Soft-spot^® solution», Chief executive Alexander MARTIN said and added « Our design provides interesting advantages and cost saving in material consumption and civil works while being easy to be built. »

Simply the most economical foundation

The Soft-spot^® was developed by CTE Wind’s engineering team and is implemented in various countries around the world. As a result of his astonishing design this solution allows savings in concrete volume up to 15%, reduction of foundation diameter and total weight reduction of reinforcement bars of 7 to 9%. The earthwork to be handled is reduced too. In some cases, what is also important is the available space : with Soft-spot^® you need less surface for the foundation. The construction is very easy and the material for the soft layer can be easily purchased for a low price all over the world.

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Two simply but effective foundation solutions are the rock anchor, designed for a wind park in Mexico and the high plinth solution for a wind farm in Chile. They are highly cost efficient, feasible and have proven to be very reliable in many projects.

Bilbao (ESP) – Special requests often demand tailormade solutions. But tailormade needs an high specialization and a lot of knowhow from the engineers in the specific field. In foundation design for wind turbine generator (WTG), this specific knowledge is not that common, except for CTE Wind International. Their senior engineers are often asked to find new design solutions. For this purpose, they resort to tried and tested instead of reinventing the wheel. Two simply but effective solutions are the rock anchor and the high plinth solution. They aren’t NEW solutions but are highly cost efficient, feasible and their reliability has been proved in many projects. This article features two project cases, among many others, where CTE Wind International designed a rock anchor for a wind park in Mexico and a high plinth foundation for a wind farm in Chile.

Cost savings thanks to rock anchor

In Mexico CTE Wind Ibérica was selected as WTG foundation designer by a Spanish EPC company. The project has more than 20 WTGs with concrete towers. The project analysis conducted by the Spanish expert in foundation design has led to the recommendation to deploy two different solutions in order to optimize the costs of project. In fact, the soil conditions showed that over a third of the wind turbines were planned on rocky ground. Rather than equipping all wind turbine with standard slab foundations, CTE Wind’s engineering team decided together with the customer to implement rock anchors. This solution uses the rock masses as a WTG foundation. In that way the construction company is able take advantage of the earth crust instead of building a slab foundation. The costs for the reinforced concrete and the construction work can be saved. But this solution is specially challenging as the engineers have to adapt the foundation, with an interface, between the concrete towers and the rock anchors. Not to forget the special design work of these anchors that needs to be done. Finally, the client was impressed and satisfied about the result. But more important: the project costs were below the initial budget.

High plinth for extra height

In another case, CTE Wind was approached by a global construction company and explained the challenge for its project in Chile, with over 35 WTGs. The customer needed an hub height of 4 meters more to increase the energy production and ensure the yield and so its income. They weren’t totally satisfied with a complex solution by one of CTE Wind’s competitors. That is why the construction company asked CTE Wind to find a simple, reliable, feasible and cost-effective solution. That is how the high plinth foundation was chosen: a solution already tested and implemented in multiple projects in Europe. The idea of this foundation is to reach higher hub height with a high pedestal. The tower stands 3 to 6 meters above the «ground level», keeping the gravity foundation independent from the tower system. Ideally the solution provides a longer anchor cage. CTE Wind’s engineering team designed the anchor cage for this project and determined the bolt length and steel quality. If needed CTE Wind can also prepare the detailed anchor cage drawing. After comparing the results of CTE Wind’s predesigns to the competitor’s solutions, the customer decided to go ahead with CTE Wind’s high plinth foundation. No difficulties in regards the construction have been reported. On the contrary, the Spanish expert of WTG foundation design was congratulated.

CTE Wind inaugurates its first North American office in Broomfield, Colorado. Senior Engineer Jomâa Ben-Hassine (PhD) will oversee the structural engineering and geotechnical projects in the US and Canada.

Broomfield, CO / La Richardais, France — CTE Wind International, a consultancy specialized in the structural design of onshore foundations for wind turbine generators (WTGs), is pleased to announce the official opening of its North American office – CTE WIND USA, Inc. – in Broomfield, Colorado (Denver metro area).

« The decision to open our new office in the State of Colorado is a sensible choice for us and for our clients, » says CTE Wind International CEO Alexander MARTIN. « Denver is near the geographic center of the country and is at the heart of the wind belt. From Denver International Airport, our office colleagues can reach most project sites in a few hours and can visit with our North American clients easily, » he explains.

The Colorado office is dedicated to supporting the needs of our North American clients. Our customers on both sides of the Atlantic asked CTE Wind for a North American presence. They can now benefit from the same responsiveness and know-how they have come to expect from the CTE Wind offices in France (HQ), Brazil, Poland, Portugal, Spain and in Asia.

Experienced Director of Operations & Engineering

Senior Engineer Jomâa Ben-Hassine (PhD, PE, P.Eng., ing.) who is leading the structural and geotechnical consultancy will serve as Director of Operations & Engineering in the US and Canada. Dr. Ben-Hassine is a civil engineer licensed in twenty US states and three Canadian provinces. He has accumulated over 30 years of practical experience in geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, foundation design, soil-structure interaction, reliability-based design, geohazard recognition and mitigation and risk assessment. He is active on several technical and standard development committees and has taken on leadership roles in multiple professional organizations (AWEA’s WTSC, ARESCA, IEC, and ASCE).

« We are very happy to have Jomâa Ben-Hassine on board of CTE Wind USA., » says MARTIN. « He brings in longstanding experience in wind and solar energy and knows the US and European standards and guidelines. North American EPC/BOP contractors and developers will benefit from the best of the two worlds, especially when it comes to bigger wind turbines above 4 MW with higher hub heights. »

About CTE Wind International

CTE Wind Civil Engineering is an international engineering consulting firm specialized in the analysis and design of onshore wind turbine foundations. CTE Wind has been active in the wind energy sector since 2003. As of 2019, CTE Wind has designed, value-engineered or peer-reviewed foundations for over 17,500 turbines in 67 countries. CTE Wind is headquartered in France and has offices in Brazil, Poland, Portugal, Spain, USA and Asia.

The company is a subsidiary of the CTE Group, a consulting firm, specialized in building and civil engineering. The CTE Group was founded in 1965 and today is one of the leaders in the structural engineering sector.