First Offshore Wind Probe Starts in Croatia

Croatian oil and gas specialist INA has started wind measurement campaigns on two gas platforms in the North Adriatic to explore the potential for the construction of an offshore wind farm.

The wind measurement equipment has been installed on the Izabela Sjever and Ivana A gas platforms located between 50 and 60 kilometres from the town of Pula in Croatia’s Istria region.

This project represents the first offshore wind measurement campaign in Croatia and will last for at least 12 months, INA said.

The survey campaigns are expected to yield a complete assessment of wind resources and its profitability, taking into account industry standards, and be the base for the company’s decision to proceed with the project.

“INA is stepping into new businesses whose projects are based on renewable energy sources and mobility, but also other activities in which we see synergies with current business,” said Ante Crljenko, Director of Enterprise and Innovation at INA.

”We are interested in all the profitable opportunities with which we can upgrade the existing value chain, and at the same time fit into the green plans of Croatia and the European Union.”

The supplier of the LIDAR wind measuring devices is Megajoule Adria, the company in charge of monitoring and commissioning of the equipment.

The Lidar ZX 300Ms have been deployed to begin taking measurements up to 300 metres from their installed position on the gas platforms to support the assessment of potential wind energy in the area.

”We measure wind speed and direction according to the highest industry standards and best practices at higher altitudes to enable a better understanding of the wind regime on site. The whole installation was very demanding because it is the first of its kind in the region and was installed in good cooperation with INA and SCAN,” said Leo Jerkić, director of Megajoule Adria.

Under its Shape Tomorrow 2030+ strategy, INA intends to allocate at least 50 per cent of total investments to sustainable projects by 2030.

Data provided by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) shows that Croatia has an estimated technical potential for 17 GW of offshore wind capacity within 200 kilometers of the shoreline. This includes 4 GW of fixed-bottom and 13 GW of floating wind capacity.

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