From the south to the north east of Sardinia to produce energy from the wind. With a floating wind farm (the third), for which an investment of 2.5 billion euros is planned, more than 25 kilometers from the coast of Budoni. It is called Tibula Energia and is the project for a floating marine wind farm proposed, as part of an equal partnership, by Falck Renewables (a company that develops, designs, builds and manages energy production plants from renewable energy sources with an installed capacity of 1,408 MW in the United Kingdom, Italy, United States, Spain, France, Norway and Sweden, generated by wind, solar, WtE and biomass sources) and BlueFloat Energy (a company that develops offshore wind projects in various regions of the world and is supported by 547 Energy, Quantum Energy Partner’s renewable energy investment platform).
Interlocutions with the territories
The request for a maritime state property concession was filed on 6 May, and is still at the stage of discussions with the territories of the north east of the island. Meetings “to present the conceptual proposal and – they write from the group – improve it through dialogue and comparison”. The authorization procedure at the Ministry of Ecological Transition is expected to start in the coming weeks.
A park of 62 turbines
The intervention plan envisages the construction of a park consisting of 62 floating wind turbines, located at a distance from the coast ranging from a minimum of 25 to a maximum of 40 kilometers. Outside the territorial waters, and “almost imperceptible to the human eye” looking from the coast. The park will have an installed capacity of 975 MW and an expected production of over 3.4 TWh / year, equal to the consumption of over 900,000 households. Not only that, according to the group, the entire production “will contribute to avoiding the emission of 1.6 million tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere every year”.
Floating technology
As for the technology used, as stated in the sheet «marine wind with floating technology allows the positioning of wind turbines in open and deep seas, such as the Mediterranean, without creating fixed foundations». A feature that «allows to minimize the impacts on the marine and terrestrial environment during all phases of the project». Furthermore, each plant is able to intercept the wind where it is most abundant “increasing efficiency and maximizing energy production”.
The fallout, 3200 places
Then there is the chapter relating to the effects on the territory. Up to 3,200 jobs are foreseen for the manufacturing, assembly and maintenance phases and over 180 for the maintenance of the plants after the park is put into operation. Then the creation of new professionals with know-how and agreements with universities and study centers and the enhancement of the short supply chain with priority given to local businesses. In this scenario, there is also a space for the development of ports because the project “will pivot” on the main industrial ports of the island for the assembly, management and maintenance of the park.