Editor's note: This feature first appeared within the 2024 Offshore Wind Special Report and published within the July/August issue of Offshore magazine.
By Jeremy Beckman, Europe Editor
Italy is potentially Europe’s leading destination for floating offshore wind developers. According to a report published last October by trade association Renewable UK, the country has at least 47 floating offshore wind projects at an early stage of development. Although only one of the proposals is said to have entered the planning submission phase, the government is taking steps to drive the market forward.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security issued the draft Decree 2, designed to advance construction of renewable energy developments with a Contracts for Difference subsidies arrangement for floating offshore and fixed wind projects. Following a transparent bidding process, the deadlines for selected projects to start operations (the scheme also applies to other forms of renewable energy) would vary from 31 to 60 months, depending on the technology deployed. The Italian wind association Anev, however, has called for a faster roll-out of the country’s regulatory framework to support developers and investors.
Individual companies or consortia reportedly working on plans for floating offshore wind farms around Italy’s shores are Renantis/BlueFloat Energy; Renexia, in the Strait of Sicily; Eni subsidiary Plenitude/CDP Equity/Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners; Galileo/Hope Group (the 1.1-GW Barium Bay poject in the Adriatic Sea and the 525-MW Lupiae Maris offshore Apulia); Maverick (a 1-GW project in the Adriatic); and BayWa.re. Italy, which has a pipeline of 14 potential floating offshore wind developments with an overall capacity of about 9 GW.
BayWa r.e. is a Munich-based renewable energy developer, power producer and energy solutions provider with an international network of offices. Its offshore division is pursuing various projects in Europe and Australia. Outside Italy, the company is part of a consortium awarded the rights to develop the 960-MW Buchan offshore wind farm in the central North Sea off northeast Scotland. Recently, in partnership with Elicio, it also won the tender to develop Pennavel, France’s first commercial floating offshore wind farm; this will be located offshore Lorient, Brittany, with a capacity in the range 230 MW to 270 MW. It is also reportedly the world’s first commercial floating wind venture to secure a long-term Contract for Difference.
In Italy, the company has plans for 14 floating offshore wind power developments with an overall capacity of 9 GW: two in the Tyrrenhian Sea offshore Lazio in the west, four off Sardinia, six offshore Sicily, and two off Puglia in the east.
According to Giulia Lo Bianco, head of offshore wind Italy with BayWa r.e. Italy, “To date, we are especially focusing on three projects in Sicily with a total capacity of around 2 GW. Geophysical, geotechnical and environmental studies are underway to elaborate the definitive design of the floating offshore wind farms and asses their environmental impact in order to apply for the EIA [environmental impact assessment].
“BayWa r.e. Italy, founded in 2012, has 200 employees working from offices in Milan, Rome, Foggia and Verona for five different entities in charge of the development of wind and solar farms, operation and maintenance of renewable energy assets, energy trading, the distribution of PV components, and tailor-made corporate energy solutions. For the floating offshore wind projects in our portfolio, we don’t have partnerships with utilities or investment groups in Italy. Out of the three projects currently under development, two belong to Ninfea Rinnovabili and one to Regolo Rinnovabili, both special purpose vehicles of BayWa r.e. Progetti. All our planned FOW [floating offshore wind] projects would be commercial from first power, with no preliminary pilot demonstrations.”
The overall Sicily portfolio includes two planned developments, Mazara del Vallo 4 and 2, respectively 44 km and 52 km offshore from the port of Mazarra del Vallo. The three prioritized Sicily projects are relatively far from the coast (more than 12 nautical miles away), “with a reduced visual impact," Lo Bianco added. "Furthermore, the water depth is higher for floating wind projects compared to bottom-fixed, which reduces the amount of biocenosis on the seabed and therefore the impact of the wind turbines’ and substation’s foundations. The type of moorings and anchors will be determined after the geophysical and environmental studies."
BayWa r.e.'s technical team will design the offshore wind farms as well as the electrical connection and the floater. "To address all other aspects of the developments, including the turbines, the company is drawing on the support of different consultants," she said. "We are working to apply for the EIAs and subsequently obtain permission to build our projects. Based on the timeframe required to obtain authorizations in Italy, we expect to start construction around 2030.”
Unlike France, Italy’s regulatory framework does not feature a mandatory tender process for offshore wind. “But in any case, local engagement and close consultation with local stakeholders is very important to us and are both prerequisites for a successful project," Lo Bianco said. “We think that Italy has an enormous potential for offshore wind and our significant project pipeline reflects our determination to play a leading role. Over the next years, BayWa r.e. will continue to invest resources and expertise to implement innovative solutions such as offshore wind, to not only contribute to a concrete path toward decarbonization for Italy, but also create economic opportunities and promote sustainable development at a regional level. Building on our global network of development offices, we are also pursuing a few offshore opportunities in additional markets like France and the UK, with the ambition to expand our portfolio over the next years.”
