7SeasMed Becomes First Italian Floating Offshore Wind Project to Receive EIA Approval

March 25, 2024, by Adnan Memija

The Italian Ministry for Environment and Energy Security has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the 250 MW 7SeasMed floating offshore wind project. This is the first EIA approval for a floating offshore wind project, said Copenhagen Offshore Partners, the lead developer for the wind farm.

“The EIA Decree is the result of our robust and collaborative approach to all environmental disciplines, including stakeholder engagement and dialogue the 7SeasMed team has conducted with public bodies at both the national and local levels,” said Alan Hannah, COP Partner and Europe Market Development Lead.

7SeasMed is a 250 MW floating offshore wind project that will be located approximately 35 kilometres off the coast of Marsala, Sicily. Approval of the EIA paves the way for the construction and operation of the offshore wind farm, said the developer.

According to COP, the project also positions Sicily as an important hub for renewable energy generation in Italy and bolsters the country’s commitment to carbon neutrality.

The 7SeasMed is part of a larger 3 GW offshore wind portfolio in Italy owned by the GreenIT, a joint venture between Plenitude (Eni) and CDP Equity, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) partnership, and of which COP serves as a lead development partner.

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The wind farm is expected to provide clean and affordable energy to more than 70,000 homes in Sicily or around five per cent of Sicily’s total electricity consumption.

In addition to 7SeasMed, the partnership is developing the Ichnusa (504 MW, Sardinia), Tyrrhenian (500 MW, Latium), Nurax (500 MW Sardinia), and Poseidon (1,000 MW, Sardinia) projects.

So far, Italy has one operational offshore wind farm, the Beleolico project off Taranto, in the Mediterranean Sea, which was commissioned in April 2022.