IberBlue Wind, a joint venture focused on the development of floating offshore wind farm projects, is commencing operations in Spain and Portugal in the offshore market off the Iberian Peninsula.
Its three backers – Irish company Simply Blue Group and Spanish companies Proes Consultores and FF New Energy Ventures – have international experience in renewable project development.
Simply Blue Group is a global developer of floating offshore wind farms, with projects in Ireland, the U.K., U.S., Poland and Sweden. The company currently has a pipeline of 10 GW of projects under development.
Proes Consultores is the specialized engineering and architecture division of the Amper Group. It offers engineering, industrial and technological services and has participated in the design of Kincardine, a floating wind project in Scotland.
The third member is FF New Energy Ventures, a development, construction and operations company of solar photovoltaic and renewable energy plants in Spain, which has incorporated offshore wind energy into its portfolio. It is currently developing solar PV, wind and BESS projects in Spain and Portugal, having so far created a portfolio of 2 GW between the two countries, with more than 0.5 GW with connection rights already secured.
Supported by the alliance of these three companies, IberBlue Wind will participate in the public auctions for offshore sites off Spain and Portugal. It will undertake the early development and design of the projects in advance of the construction and commissioning of wind turbines. To this end, its aim is to develop around 2 GW of floating offshore wind capacity off the Iberian Peninsula, comprising wind farms each of 500 MW or more.
Initially, IberBlue Wind will focus on two strategically selected regions. In Spain, it will start in Andalusia, where it aspires to lead the promotion of offshore wind energy as a new economic engine for the region; and Galicia, one of the communities with the greatest potential for this form of renewable energy. In Portugal, IberBlue Wind will focus on the central and northern parts of the country where there is an excellent wind energy resource.
“There is the potential for Spain and Portugal to become world leaders in offshore wind generation, as both countries have excellent wind resources, a long history in coastal engineering and first-class public works,” says Adrián de Andrés, vice president of IberBlue Wind. “We can leverage our knowledge and experience acquired in floating offshore wind projects in Great Britain, Ireland and elsewhere, in the Iberian market.”
