The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure has begun for Odra Energia, the proposed 1.3 GW floating offshore wind project that the partnership between Renantis and BlueFloat Energy plans to develop off the southern coast of the province of Lecce in Italy.
After a year-long assessment and research phase, the EIA study was submitted to the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (Mase), and the Ministry of Culture (MiC).
The EIA study comprises a set of documents detailing the intended project hypothesis, which will be published for public consultation in the coming weeks.
This is another step forward in the authorization process that began 2021, when the partnership initiated a voluntary environmental scoping process, opening the project to the observations of local authorities, associations, and other local, regional, and national stakeholders.
This has facilitated closer alignment with the expectations of the local communities and has resulted in several project adjustments, such as a 30% increase in the distance of the proposed wind farm from the coast compared to initial plans, and a reduction in the number of turbines to be located in the first rows.
The project proposes 90 floating wind turbines for an expected maximum installed capacity of about 1,300 MW and a production of about 4 TWh/year.
This is equivalent to the consumption of more than 1 million Italian households, avoiding more than 2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere per year. The overall investment in project construction and development is estimated at more than $4.3 billion (€4 billion).
“The months leading up to the finalization of the EIA made it possible for us to optimize the project through the dedicated environmental and engineering campaigns that we conducted, both onshore and in the open sea. The result is a project that is technically feasible and optimal, while being environmentally sustainable and contributing to the local economy growth,” said Ksenia Balanda, General Manager of Renantis-BlueFloat Energy Partnership for Italy.
Around 1,500 direct jobs are expected through the wind farm’s manufacturing, assembly and construction phases, with up to 4,000 during peak activity periods, and more than 150 permanent jobs estimated for the entire lifespan of the wind farm, estimated at 30 years, according to developers.