Offshore staff
LISBON — Portugal expects to launch its first offshore wind power auction by fourth-quarter 2023, aiming to reach 10 GW of installed capacity by 2030, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Jan. 23, according to a Reuters report.
As a pre-condition to the auction, the government will this week launch a public hearing regarding proposals for the delimitation of areas to allow the deployment of wind farms off the country's Atlantic coast, he said during a state visit to Cape Verde.
Portugal has 7.3 GW of hydroelectric capacity and 5.6 GW of onshore wind, which together represent 83% of its total installed capacity.
The energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine is forcing countries to bet more on renewable energy generation, such as wind and solar.
Floating wind technology, seen as the final frontier in the offshore wind industry, has gained traction in countries such as Britain, France and parts of southeast Asia.
Portugal has a small, 25-MW floating wind project off its Atlantic coast.
The country aims to have 80% of its electricity usage coming from renewable sources by 2026, up from about 60% now, which is already one of the highest ratios in Europe, Reuters reported.
In October 2022, BayWa r.e. closed on official authorization for what it claims will be Portugal’s first commercial-scale floating offshore wind project and the first subsidy-free development of its type worldwide.
That same month Marine Power Systems joined forces with WavEC to deploy its modular floating offshore wind platform technology in the north region of Portugal.
01.23.2023
