Italy Receives 64 Expressions of Interest to Build Floating Offshore Wind Farms

Italy’s Ministry of Ecological Transition has received 64 Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the development of floating offshore wind projects off the country’s coast.

The Ministry is working at encouraging the development of a new generation of floating offshore wind farms, and the first round of bilateral meetings with the individual companies and groups who submitted their EoIs is coming to an end.

A further round of meetings is already foreseen to enhance the possible synergies deriving from the provision of more wind farms in the same sea areas, in agreement between the proponents, and to share the status of the works with the environmental protection associations and other subjects participants, the Ministry said.

55 EoIs were received from companies and business associations, including Copenhagen Offshore Partners, DEME Offshore, Eni SpA, Falck Renewables, Fincantieri SpA, Fred. Olsen Renewables, Renexia, Ocean Winds, Principle Power, RWE Renewables, Saipem, Vestas, and others.

Three EoIs were received from environmental protection associations, including WWF, Legambiente, and Greenpeace; and seven from other subjects such as Polytechnic University of Turin, OWEMES – association of researchers, and CIRSAM – International Consortium for Adriatic and Mediterranean development and research.

At least 20 of the EoIs proposed detailed projects, which in many cases involve floating wind farms located over 12 miles offshore, the Ministry said.

In total, 40 floating offshore wind projects were examined. More than 20 projects are located off the coast of Sicily and Sardinia, more than ten along the Adriatic coast, with the remainder distributed between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas.