Galileo, a pan-European renewable energy developer, and Hope Group have partnered to create a joint venture (JV) to construct a 1,100 MW floating offshore wind project in the Adriatic Sea of Italy. It will be called Barium Bay floating wind farm, also the JV’s name. It will be situated more than 40 kilometers offshore. Additionally, it will encompass the sea between Barium and Barletta.
Barium Bay floating wind farm will comprise 74 15 MW wind turbines. It will thus be able to capture speeds fast enough to generate more than 3 billion kWh of energy. According to the joint venture, this amounts to the annual electricity consumption of more than a million households in Italy. The goal of the Barium Bay JV is to submit its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application by the summer of 2023. To that end, the Barium Bay JV is currently finishing the required technical and environmental studies.
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Barium Bay floating wind farm to aid in Italy’s energy transition
In parallel, the JV and Spain’s Eolos Floating Lidar Solutions will launch a 24-month campaign to measure wind at sea. Ingmar Wilhelm, CEO of Galileo said, “Barium Bay is a landmark project. This is due to its size and potential to aid in Italy’s energy transition by utilizing only local energy sources. The Adriatic Sea offers a winning combination of critical elements that make floating offshore wind projects highly attractive for Italy. It has good wind speeds, vast areas, and suitable connection solutions to the national grid.”
According to the JV, the Barium Bay project strengthens the alliance between Galileo and Hope Group. It was first established with Lupiae Maris, a joint venture to construct a 525 MW wind farm using the same technology in Apulia, Italy, off the coasts of Brindisi and Lecce.
Michele Scoppio, CEO of Hope Group, said, “We are happy and excited about how our relationship with Galileo has grown. This demonstrates the value of our partnership and the synergies that resulted from it. As a result, we have built competencies that have made us a leader in the expanding Italian offshore wind market.
