Offshore staff
SAN DONATO MILANESE, Italy – Saipem plans to co-develop a wind farm with two other companies in the Adriatic Sea offshore Ravenna on Italy’s east coast.
It has signed a memorandum of understanding with AGNES, a specialist in renewable energy projects in the Adriatic Sea, in particular offshore and nearshore wind farms, floating solar panels at sea, energy storage systems and hydrogen production from renewable sources; and QINT’X, which focuses on solar, wind and hydroelectric energies and e-mobility (electric vehicles).
The project will involve installing around 56 turbines on fixed foundations on the seafloor at two sites, respectively more than 8 and 12 nautical mi from the shore, with overall installed power close to 450 MW.
Innovations deployed for the project will include floating solar technology based on a proprietary system developed by Moss Maritime, part of Saipem’s XSIGHT division which is dedicated to accelerating de-carbonization in the energy sector.
XSIGHT is working on integrated solutions for using renewable energy and for producing green hydrogen, and Agnes will be the first project to harness these. According to Saipem, this presents an opportunity to devise an alternative solution to decommissioning oil and gas platforms in the Adriatic Sea.
Mauro Piasere, COO of XSIGHT, said: “This agreement is consistent with the new business model adopted by the company [Saipem]…and introduced in 2019 as part of the agreement with Plambeck to develop wind farms with floating foundations in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia.
“Through the XSIGHT division, Saipem is planning to launch similar projects in Sicily and Sardinia as well, using floating foundations for wind turbines, thus supporting the Italian shipbuilding industry.”
Alberto Bernabini, CEO of QINT’X, added: “Our vision is to create a new green energy hub in the Adriatic Sea, integrating multiple technologies to generate clean energy from the wind, sun, and hydrogen.”
08/25/2020
