Interconnect Malta has initiated a geographical survey of specific areas within Malta’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Fugro Italia Spa is carrying out the survey, which aims to map the bathymetry, locate and identify seabed and man-made features, as well as gather sub-bottom seismic data. This survey is part of the ongoing process undertaken by the Maltese government to encourage the generation of electricity from renewable sources.
Following consultations, strategic environmental evaluations and desktop studies, two sites have been identified for the potential development of offshore floating wind farms.
“The Maltese government is committed to pursuing offshore renewable energy opportunities,” says Dr. Miriam Dalli, Malta’s energy minister.
“In 2022, the government issued a Preliminary Market Consultation for economic activities in Malta’s EEZ. In 2023, we then launched the ‘National Policy for the Deployment of Offshore Renewable Energy’ for public consultation. This survey signifies another important step in preparing the island’s attractiveness to potential investors for developing offshore floating wind systems.”
The 2022 PMC invited companies to propose economic activities that can be carried out in an EEZ area beyond the territorial waters of Malta. Fifteen of the proposals submitted from the private sector targeted the development of offshore wind farms within Malta’s continental shelf.
The Offshore Renewable Energy Policy seeks to enable the offshore potential of the Mediterranean through supporting the implementation of offshore renewable projects in areas lying beyond the territorial waters and within Malta’s potential EEZ by providing a comprehensive framework to promote investment in renewable energy.
The policy identified six potential areas for the deployment of floating renewable energy. Following this, a strategic environmental assessment narrowed the areas to Area 3 and Area 4.
The bathymetric characteristics of Malta’s territorial waters, and those beyond, highly restrict areas suitable for offshore bottom-fixed wind turbines, due to the relative shallower water depth requirements of such technology. However, floating offshore wind technology presents a potential solution.
