A floating offshore wind farm with an installed capacity of 990MW will be built off the coast of Figueira da Foz, in Portugal.
1. Offshore wind
IberBlue Wind, a Spanish-Portuguese joint venture set up to promote floating offshore wind farms in the Iberian Peninsula, unveiled its first offshore wind project in Portugal. Named Botafogo, the facility will be built offshore from Figueira da Foz and cover an area of 359km². It will feature floating platforms anchored to the seabed, which will allow it to be located 30-50km from the coast. Equipped with 55 wind turbines, each with 18MW of capacity, the project is due to deliver a total installed capacity of 990MW.
Figueira da Foz is a region with great potential. Besides the high wind strengths and the existing port infrastructure, it’s located near to the centre of the country where there is significant demand for energy from both industrial and private consumers.
IberBlue Wind vice-president Adrián de Andrés.
The Figueira da Foz area was one of five proposed by the Portuguese government for offshore renewable energy, ahead of a public hearing to discuss delimitation of areas where wind farms could be built.
For this project, IberBlue Wind is working with ports and regional and local institutions to ensure that the Botafogo facility is integrated into the region in the best way possible. The project is expected to create job opportunities in the region, especially during its construction and operational phases.
2. Onshore wind and hydro
By the end of 2021, the cumulative installed capacity in Portugal was distributed over 265 wind parks, with 2,836 wind turbines, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Portuguese wind power fleet generated 13.27 TWh, accounting for 26% of the country’s electricity consumption. Together with its 7.3 GW of hydroelectric capacity and 5.6 GW of onshore wind, Portugal has 83% of total installed capacity.
3. Spain and Italy
IberBlue Wind, a company formed by Simply Blue Group and the Spanish companies Proes Consultores and FF New Energy Ventures, was created to develop at least 2GW of floating wind power capacity offshore from the Iberian Peninsula. In November last year, IberBlue Wind announced plans to develop Nao Victoria, a 990MW wind farm in the Alboran Sea. The Nao Victoria project will be located offshore from Cadiz and Malaga and cover an area of 310km².
Italy is also booked for offshore wind projects. Last month, Simply Blue Group and Eni’s subsidiary Plenitude agreed to jointly develop floating offshore wind projects in the country. The firms have submitted plans for their first two floating offshore wind projects, Messapia and Krimisa, to the relevant authorities.
