BlueFloat and Falck raise sails for floating wind giant in Adriatic off Italy
Pair move ahead with the 1.2GW Kalia Energia in waters of Brindisi as part of wider collaboration on offshore projects off the European country
BlueFloat Energy and Falck Renewables have formed a partnership to develop floating offshore wind projects off Italy, starting with a flagship 1.2GW array in the Adriatic Sea.
Documentation for the lead-off development, dubbed Kailia Energia, to be built in the waters off Brindisi, has been submitted to the European country’s Ministry for Ecological Transition “to start the authorization process”.
Once online, Kailia Energia would produce some 3.5TWh, enough to power 1 million Italian households, while saving some 2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, each year.
“As a global offshore wind developer with a unique floating wind expertise we are keen to contribute towards the development of this sector in Italy,” said BlueFloat CEO Carlos Martin.
Toni Volpe, CEO of Falck Renewables, stated: "This project [Kailia Energia] is the result of an important work carried out in recent months by the partnership, and that has also involved local stakeholders in a process of dialogue and shared development with communities and territories."
The two companies in a statement said they saw “a strong potential for floating offshore wind in Italy, considering the characteristics of its coastline and the depth of its seas… that will significantly contribute towards the national energy transition and regional autonomy, while fully respecting ecosystems”.
Plans are now to kick off preliminary scoping of the Kailia Energia site for its environmental impact, while the project’s maritime concession will be submitted to Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and the Port Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea.
The developers will also now set in motion a “preliminary analysis” for a second floating wind project near Kailia Energia.