RWE and Spanish Port Team Up for Floating Offshore Wind

March 19, 2024, by Adnan Memija

German energy company RWE has teamed up with the Port of Authority of A Coruña to facilitate the scaling-up of the port capacity in support of the Spanish Government’s floating offshore wind targets.

RWE Port of A Coruña — *Port of A Coruña, Source: RWE*

Working together under a Letter of Support, the partners will investigate the potential for transforming infrastructure at the Port of Coruña, in northwest Spain, into a logistic hub for the marshalling, assembly, and deployment of major components for commercial-scale floating offshore wind projects.

“Located on the main international maritime routes our deep water port is suitable for the marshalling, assembly and deployment of main components, like floating substructures and mooring systems. We are well positioned to cover the future needs of the growing floating wind industry,” said Martín Fernández Prado, Executive Chairman at Port Authority of A Coruña.

According to RWE, early development of port capacity could ensure that Spain is well placed to maximise the potential of the floating offshore wind industry in Spain, Portugal, and even at a wider European level.

“Port capacity and a sustainable supply chain industry are key to the deployment of commercial-scale floating offshore wind projects. That is why we support the Port of Coruña in its ambition to become a logistic hub for floating wind projects off the Spanish coast and beyond,” said Marta Carroza Diaz, Head of Floating Wind Industrialisation & Engineering, RWE Offshore Wind.

Spain has set a target of 3 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2030 and plans to carry out its first auction in the Canary region this year.

In February 2023, RWE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Spanish company Ferrovial to explore the joint development, construction, and operation of floating wind farms in Spain.

RWE and Ferrovial have already crossed paths in the Spanish offshore wind sector within the DemoSATH project, which features Saitec Offshore Technologies’s floater. RWE is Saitec’s project partner, while Ferrovial was responsible for the construction of the DemoSATH concrete platform.

In September 2023, Spain’s national grid received its first power from the floating offshore wind project, introducing this type of renewable generation technology to the country’s energy mix for the first time.