Floating Wind Partners Up Italian Portfolio to 3 GW

March 22, 2023, by Adnan Memija

GreenIT, a joint venture between Plenitude (Eni) and CDP Equity, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) through its Flagship Funds have signed an agreement to develop three floating offshore wind projects in Italy.

For illustrative purpose only; Photo source: Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (archive)

The floating offshore wind projects will be located approximately 30 kilometres off the coast and have an overall capacity of about 2 GW.

The agreement involves the development of a project in Latium, off the coast of Civitavecchia, for a total capacity of up to 540 MW and two other wind farms located off the coast of Olbia (Sardinia), with a power of around 500 MW and 1,000 MW, respectively.

Combined the three projects are expected to produce around 5 TWh/year with commercial operation expected between 2028 and 2031 once the authorisation process and subsequent construction phase are completed.

The projects will be using floating foundations, utilising innovative technical solutions aimed at minimising environmental and visual impact, and will benefit from technological and logistic synergies with the other offshore wind initiatives managed within the same partnership, CIP said.

The floating offshore wind farms will be developed by a joint working team, in collaboration with Copenhagen Offshore Partners – the exclusive offshore wind development partner of CIP – and NiceTechnology and 7 Seas Wind Power, Italian companies which have collaborated with GreenIT and CIP on the deployment of two other wind farms in Sicily and Sardinia.

The partnership’s offshore wind portfolio in Italy will thus reach almost 3 GW with a yearly production of around 7 TWh of renewable energy, enough to provide renewable electricity to around 2.5 million households and contribute to the decarbonisation objectives of the 2030 National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan.

Italy aims for a 55 per cent renewables share in electricity generation by 2030 while also being highlighted by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) as one of the top five emerging markets for offshore wind.

The country currently has one offshore wind farm built in its waters, the 30 MW Taranto (or Beleolico) project, developed by Renexia.