IberBlue Wind has announced the development of its first project for Portugal: a floating offshore wind farm – Botafogo – off the coast of Figueira da Foz.
The project will occupy an area of 359 km2 and will have 55 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 18 MW, making a total of 990 MW of installed capacity.
Figueira da Foz is one of the five areas proposed by the Portuguese government for offshore renewable energy exploration, given its combination of high wind potential, port infrastructure and low impact on other activities in the area. The implementation of this project requires close collaboration with different stakeholders, and IberBlue Wind says it has already engaged with ports and regional and local institutions to ensure the project is integrated in the best way possible into the region.
The development of this project will create thousands of jobs, most of which will be allocated to the development and construction phase of the wind farm, and the rest to the operation and maintenance of the wind turbines during its years of operation.
Botafogo will be constructed on floating platforms anchored to the seabed, allowing it to be located 30-50 km from the coast and greatly reducing its visual impact. This technology allows the wind turbines to be located in deeper waters further from shore, which overcomes the limitations posed to bottom-fixed installations by the narrowness of the continental shelf off the Iberian Peninsula.
“Figueira da Foz is a region with great potential. Besides the high wind strengths and the existing port infrastructure, it’s located near to the center of the country, where there is significant demand for energy from both industrial and private consumers,” says Adrián de Andrés, vice president of IberBlue Wind.
IberBlue Wind is a joint venture between Irish company Simply Blue Group and Spanish companies Proes Consultores and FF New Energy Ventures. In addition to Botafogo, IberBlue Wind announced another project in Spain last November: Nao Victoria, located in the Alboran Sea, off the coasts of Cadiz and Malaga, also with an installed capacity of 990 MW.
