BayWa’s renewables business has applied for a permit for exclusive use of the seabed to develop a 600MW floating offshore wind farm off the coast of Portugal.
The project will install 30 turbines in a dedicated zone off the coastline of Viana do Castelo.
This would mark the first commercial scale floating offshore project in Portugal, and also the first subsidy-free floating offshore project in the world.
The move follows initial discussions and consultation stages with the Portuguese government and all local stakeholders.
The project is compatible with the recently announced offshore wind tenders to be run in the future and can serve as a blueprint for the bidding projects.
BayWa r.e. intends to support the creation of a global floating offshore wind supply chain in Portugal using existing local infrastructure, that the tender projects will be able to use.
Furthermore, the project will be realised without any public subsidies and with a power purchase agreement (PPA).
The project will support Portugal to achieve its climate targets and to reach net zero emissions in the following decades. In particular, Portugal aims to increase the share of renewables in electricity production to 80% by 2026.
Technical Director Offshore Wind at BayWa r.e. Ricardo Rocha said: “Our project will be a real milestone for the Portuguese Offshore industry. We have been working hard with our industrial partners and all the stakeholders during the development process.
“Now is the time to take it to the next level. We are looking forward to continuing collaborating with the Portuguese government and authorities, to make this project not only a project in Portugal, but also and especially, for Portugal.”
Lorenzo Palombi, Global Director Wind Projects at BayWa r.e., added: “Our project is well in line with Portugal’s ambitious offshore targets. The zone where our Floating wind farm is to be built is part of the marine spatial plan of the Portuguese government, so it already has a dedicated zone.
“At BayWa r.e., we are excited to not only drive forward the energy transition with this project, but also to bring socio-economic benefits such as new jobs and local infrastructure to the community in Viana do Castelo.”