Spain’s Naturgy and Equinor have revealed the 200 MW Floating Offshore Wind Canarias (FOWCA) project. It will be located in the maritime area of eastern Gran Canaria. The FOWCA project will be built using semi-submersible floating platform technology. Among its other benefits, enables the installation of structures farthest from the coast, according to Naturgy. The FOWCA project will be linked to the Barranco de Tirajana substation of Red Eléctrica Espaola.
According to the study conducted by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, it is predicted that the project might produce more than 2,500 jobs. This is in all phases of the Floating Offshore Wind Canarias project, including direct, indirect, and induced jobs. Additionally, the wind farm would eliminate CO2 emissions annually by the same amount as 350,000 cars.
The first offshore wind auction in Spain is anticipated to take place there. This is given that the Canary Islands have exceptional wind conditions. The Islands’ shipyard industry may also change from building oil platforms to building platforms for marine renewable energy sources. The reason is being that some of the manufacturing and assembly could be done there.
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Impacts of the Floating Offshore Wind Canarias project
Considering all social, environmental, and economic sensitivities is Naturgy and Equinor’s goal. The coexistence, compatibility, and cooperation of marine renewable energies with biodiversity and other marine sectors, according to the two firms, is crucial for the implementation of a project of this scale.
This week, the businesses will introduce Floating Offshore Wind Canarias to a number of fishermen’s groups. Also included are other social organizations. This will help to start a dialogue with them and adjust the initiative to the needs of the island.
Sergio Auffray, a representative of Naturgy Renovables in the Canary Islands, and Javier Dez, the development director for Spain of Equinor, have already discussed the partnership between the two energy firms during a business conference put on by the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster and the Federation Canarian Port Companies (FEDEPORT).
Earlier this year, Equinor and Naturgy signed a contract to collaborate on the investigation of potential opportunities for the development of offshore wind generation in Spain. Both businesses want to advance this technology, which has a lot of potential in Spanish seas, by utilizing their complementing skills. The Norwegian company will contribute with its proven talents in offshore floating technology. Furthermore, the Spanish energy company will contribute its experience in the development of onshore wind power in the nation.
