Wind energy – Italy
Italy reported that it has received a broad range of interest with proposals for numerous projects in its first efforts to develop offshore wind farms along its coast.
The Ministry of Ecological Transition reports that it is continuing its work aimed at encouraging the development of a new generation of floating offshore plants located off the Italian coast.
At the conclusion of the first round of meetings and call for submissions of interest, the ministry reports it has received 64 expressions of interest, of which 55 were from companies and business associations.
In addition, three environmental protection associations, WWF, Legambiente, and Greenpeace, also participated in the discussions as well as seven other organizations and researchers representing interests in the electricity sector as well as development and research in the Adriatic and Mediterranean.
At least 20 of the expressions of interest proposed detailed projects, which in many cases involve floating plants located over 12 miles off the coast. In total, 40 floating offshore wind farm projects were examined, with more than 20 proposals mainly located off the coast of Sicily and Sardinia, an additional 10 for the Adriatic coast, and others distributed between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas.
Represented among the companies expressing interest were many of the leading international companies in the sector as well as industrial companies from Italy. Among the companies cited were DEME, ERG, RWE, Saipem, and EDF as well as Italian companies Fincantieri, Eni, and RINA.