Gazelle Wind Power

About Gazelle Wind Power

Gazelle Wind Power, founded in 2020 by Jon Salazar, is an engineering company developing a next-generation floating platform for offshore wind energy. The company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with a significant operational base in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, placing it in a key region for Europe's offshore wind industry. Salazar, a serial entrepreneur with a background in management consulting at Deloitte and business development, established Gazelle to address the high costs and logistical challenges of deploying wind turbines in deep-water locations.

The company’s core product is a hybrid floating wind platform that combines elements of semi-submersible and tension-leg systems. Its patented design features a unique geometry with a central counterweight and a dynamic mooring system. This configuration is engineered to separate buoyancy and stability functions, allowing the platform to move with wind and waves while minimizing tilting and without requiring active ballast systems. This results in a lighter, more compact structure that requires significantly less steel, thereby reducing capital expenditures (CAPEX) and simplifying the supply chain. The platform's modular components can be manufactured in standard shipyards and assembled at ports near the wind farm, overcoming common infrastructure limitations.

Gazelle Wind Power's business model appears to focus on technology development, partnerships, and project deployment. The company collaborates with developers, EPCs (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction firms), and industrial partners to conduct studies and deliver its technology for large-scale projects. A key milestone is the development of its 2MW grid-connected demonstrator project, 'Nau Azul', at a site off the coast of Aguçadoura, Portugal, which previously hosted an early floating wind pilot. To advance this project and support growth, Gazelle has secured significant funding, including an €11.4 million round in late 2024 led by Indico Capital Partners, and a subsequent €2 million from Portugal's sovereign bank, Banco Português de Fomento, in 2025. Strategic partnerships have been formed with companies like WAM Horizon for project development, Tugdock to create a modular assembly system, and Blue Aspirations to integrate smart LiDAR sensor technology.