Wind

Falck and BlueFloat float plans for second gigascale deepwater wind project off Italy

Developer duo hands in proposal to build 1.3GW Odra array alongside recently announced 1.2GW Kailia as Adriatic Sea offshore play starts to shape up

WindFloat units off Scotland
WindFloat units off ScotlandFoto: BlueFloat Energy

Developer tie-up Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy have unveiled plans to build a gigascale floating wind farm off Italy, with the pair filing paperwork to construct a 1.3GW deepwater project in the Adriatic Sea.

The giant array off Lecce in the south of the country, to be developed under the Odra Energia banner, would join the 1.2GW Kailia Energia array Falck and BlueFloat announced in September that they aim to build in nearby waters.

“Floating 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 decarbonisation goals set for 2030, contributing significantly to the energy independence of the country, while protecting the environment,” said the companies, in a statement.

The two projects will now enter a preliminary consultation process aimed at providing “better understanding” of the scope of the environmental impact study which will be carried out next. Falck and BlueFloat will also now hand-in a request for a maritime concession to Italy’s ministry of infrastructure and the port authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea.

Odra Energia is foreseen producing some 4TWh a year, equivalent to the consumption of more than 1 million Italian households and offsetting emissions into the atmosphere of more than 2 million tons of CO2.

“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,” said the companies, pointing to the potential jobs and local supply chain development that would come with development of the two projects.

The partnership between Falck Renewables – in which an investment vehicle advised by JP Morgan recently took a 60% controlling stake to accelerate growth plans – and BlueFloat partnership is also exploring floating wind plays off Wales and Scotland.
The Global Wind Energy Council expects 16.5GW of floating turbines to be in the water by 2030, a dramatic increase from the 6.5GW it was anticipating only a year ago, with most of that growth coming in the second half of the decade when the sector, which currently has just over 100MW in place, is tipped for dramatic lift-off.
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Published 26 October 2021, 12:53Updated 26 October 2021, 12:55
Falck Renewables BlueFloat EnergyItalyEurope