Renewable energy firms Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy said Tuesday there were about to file, on behalf of the company Odra Energia, the documentation required to start the authorization process for a floating offshore wind farm off the southern coast of the province of Lecce, Italy.
According to Falck, similarly to the first project off the coast of Brindisi, Kailia Energia, announced last September 30, the project developers behind Odra Energia are about to begin a voluntary preliminary consultation process aimed at providing a better understanding of the scope of the environmental impact study which will be carried out.
A request for the maritime concession will also be filed with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Port System Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea.
The maximum installed capacity envisaged for the Odra Energia project is around 1.3 GW. The estimated annual production is about 4 TWh, equivalent to the consumption of more than one million Italian households and the avoidance of emissions into the atmosphere of more than two million tons of carbon dioxide.
"Floating offshore wind plays a key role in the energy transition process. The wind farms that deploy this technology will play a key role in achieving the national decarbonization goals set for 2030, contributing significantly to the energy independence of the country, while protecting the environment," Falck said.
"Floating technology allows the positioning of wind turbines in deeper waters, such as those of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the construction of wind farms without the use of piled foundations and further away from the shore compared to more traditional bottom-fixed offshore wind farms. Floating wind farms are more efficient as they harness the wind further from the coast where it is more abundant whilst also minimizing the impact on the marine and onshore environments during all the phases of the project," the company added.
"In addition to generating clean energy, the Odra Energia project proposes a collaborative and value-sharing approach with the communities in Puglia located near the proposed wind farm," Falck added.
According to Falck, the project could provide stable jobs in the are in medium-long term. During the manufacturing, assembly, and construction phase of the wind farm, it is estimated that 1,500 direct jobs will be created, a number that could grow to around 4,000 during peak periods.
After the wind farm comes into operation, it is estimated that more than 150 stable jobs will be created for maintenance activities, of which about 80% will come from local resources, Falck said.