Change in stance comes as the all-rounded Comprehensive Offshore Renewable Energy Studies (CORES) makes better promise in Portugal and Luxembourg. The initiative sets the groundwork for floating offshore wind, with studies on grid reinforcement, port infrastructure, and hydrogen integration in Southern and Western European countries.
CORES has a 10 GW of offshore wind capacity target in Portugal as the country does not have any commercial-scale offshore wind farms. Portugal’s show of floating offshore wind technology is the pilot 25 MW WindFloat Atlantic in Viana do Castelo. The experimental floating wind farm began operations in 2020 and has proven to be a much more suitable alternative to fixed-bottom turbines because of the Atlantic’s deep coast.
Previous offshore wind farm project proposal
An offshore wind farm project proposal by the Costa Government back in 2023 of developing the Portuguese coast did not seem to bring about any hard felt impact to the city of Vila Nova De Gaia. The project aimed to serve by the same mechanics the floating WindFloat Atlantic. Among the hurdles highlighted was that the new offshore wind farm project will be far from the coast (30 km).
One of the spearheaders of the proposal mentioned that the new Portuguese offshore wind farm’s location is among the most crucial parts of the project. They added that its impact that is derived from the project’s visual aspect has not yet been verified. They also implicitly made reference to the impact on fishing activities at the coast.
However, assurances were made by the government that much care and correctness will be takes, and also rivaled with the sentiment that the impact on their case was not so brutal. They also assured that if something needed adjusting, they would go ahead and adjust it. This also pointed to the possibility of extending the distance that is in between the wind towers as a way of coming around the hurdles faced then.
According to the then-government’s city mayor, the new Portuguese offshore wind farm project was going to benefit the nation, and he made clear of his office’s support and endorsement. As a spearheader of the proposal, he also made assurances that the new Portuguese offshore wind farm project would not at any point harm the residents and surrounding communities, especially those invested in fishing.
Benefits of the new Portuguese offshore wind farm project
This new Portuguese offshore wind farm project proposal foresaw a boost in wind energy production in Portugal. It also pointed out evidence that it will help the country meet its energy needs in this critical transition era. The country also aims to achieve a target of 80% renewable energy sources by 2026.
Additionally, Portugal also has operational (onshore) wind farms that totaled to about 5 GW capacity in 2020 and represented around 24% of its total electricity generation. The latest development undoubtedly aims to increase this number even more with inclusion of offshore wind capacity as the global renewables chase picks up pace.
