European renewables platform Galileo has teamed up with Italian partner Hope Group to develop a 1100MW floating wind project in the Adriatic Sea.
The Barium Bay project will be located over 40km from shore and will cover an area at sea from Barium to the north of Barletta.
Barium Bay will use 74 15MW wind turbines.
The partners’ new joint venture, also called Barium Bay, is completing the environmental and technical studies, with the objective to file its environmental impact assessment (EIA) application in mid-2023.
In parallel, the Barium Bay JV will begin a 24-month wind measurement campaign at sea together with Eolos Floating Lidar Solutions, a Spanish specialist.
The Barium Bay project further consolidates Galileo and Hope’s partnership, which started with Lupiae Maris, the joint venture for the development of a 525MW floating wind farm with the same technology in Apulia, Italy, off the Brindisi and Lecce coasts.
“Barium Bay is a landmark project thanks to both its scale and potential contribution to Italy’s energy transition using exclusively local energy sources.
“The Adriatic Sea offers a winning combination of key factors that make floating offshore wind projects highly attractive for Italy: good wind speeds, vast areas, and suitable connection solutions to the national grid.
“Finding a valid answer to cover the electricity needs of over a million Italian households is a great source of motivation and determination,” said Galileo’s chief executive officer Ingmar Wilhelm.