Odra Energia modifies its project for the construction of a floating wind farm off the coast of Salento. On December 22, the company announced its intention to move the blades away from the coast. Now they will be positioned at a minimum distance of 12.8 kilometers, therefore increased by 30% compared to what was initially expected. On December 29, however, the application for the authorization of the wind farm off the southern coast of Salento will be presented to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. Odra Energia, whose project is headed by Falck Renewables, already positioned in the Italian industrial and energy reality, and to BlueFloatEnergy, which boasts experience in floating marine wind technology, explains the setback as a result of the “request that emerged during the listening phase and dialogue with the territory that Odra Energia has chosen to undertake before starting the authorization procedure “.
Revised project, listening to the territory
“The removal from the coast – explains the company – required an effort of technical redesign and economic revision because it impacts on the construction, operation and maintenance of the floating marine wind farm”.
In this way the wind farm will further reduce its invasive impact in terms of views from a coastal area that includes important tourist locations such as Capo d’Otranto, Castro Marina, Tricase and Santa Maria di Leuca. The main criticism that had been leveled at the project was indeed of this type. In fact, it has been stated that installing wind turbines off the coast of Salento means compromising the landscape. And it should not be forgotten that this is also a territory that for years has made strong opposition to the Tap gas pipeline project, even if the work, once built and put into operation (7 billion cubic meters of gas have already passed), demonstrated not only that no environmental damage has occurred but that not even tourism has been affected.
And therefore, probably aware of how the investment of the wind farm is positioned in a “delicate” reality also for the previous ones, the company Odra Energia, with the retreat, wanted to take a step forward and thus give a precise signal of availability to dialogue. Together with the new application to Mite, the company will also request the revision of the request for a maritime state property concession at the Ministry of Infrastructures and the Port System Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea.
Energy for 1 million households
The new wind farm in Salento will determine an annual production of clean energy estimated at around 4 terawatt hours (TWh), equal to the consumption of over one million households, avoiding the emission of over 2 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. year.