Offshore staff
MILAN, Italy — Partners Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy have proposed a floating offshore wind farm project off the northeastern coast of Sardinia, which they have named Tibula Energia, according to a recent BlueFloat news release.
To ensure early engagement with the region the developers have set up a series of meetings with the local stakeholders before starting the Ministerial authorization process to present the project proposal in detail and gather their feedback to be taken into account in the project design.
The Tibula Energia project will include 62 floating wind turbines, with a distance from the coast ranging from 25 to 40 km. The turbines will be barely visible to the human eye from the coast, according to BlueFloat. The Tibula Energia project's total installed capacity will be 975 MW, and the partners expect annual production of more than 3.4 TWh, equivalent to the consumption of over 900,000 households. The partners also forecast more than 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 avoided each year.
Meetings with the local stakeholders will be carried out over the next few weeks and will focus on discussing economic and social benefits of the project, including:
- generation of thousands of stable jobs in the medium to long term, such as up to 3,200 full-time jobs during the manufacturing, assembly and installation stages and more than 180 for maintenance once the wind farm is operational;
- insights into the latest technological developments, which represent professional opportunities for locals;
- R&D through collaborative schemes with Sardinia’s universities, research centers and regional technology hubs;
- development of the local supply chain based on the partners' business model, which encourages proximity of supply, giving priority to local businesses; and
- the development of the island’s main industrial ports for the assembly, operation and maintenance of the wind farm.
In addition to the production of green energy, the project aims to support the sustainable growth of local communities through initiatives that will benefit the area, such as wind farm co-ownership schemes or support for community-led projects.
Exploratory research into local sea and wind conditions, environmental impacts and industrial infrastructures has been underway over the past 12 months. The request for a maritime concession was submitted on May 6, and the authorization process with the Ministry of Ecological Transition will begin in the next few weeks.
05.20.2022
