Porto, Sept. 5, 2024 (Lusa) - The WindFloat Atlantic offshore wind project, located off the coast of Viana do Castelo in northern Portugal, as part of a partnership between Portugal's EDP Renováveis and France's Engie, has achieved cumulative production of 320 Gigawatt hours (GWh) since 2020, exceeding forecasts, it was announced on Thursday.
"After four years of successful operation, the WindFloat Atlantic project has not only exceeded the expected figures, but has also fostered a strong alliance in the region," said Ocean Winds (OW), an international offshore wind energy company created in 2020 as a 50-50 joint venture by EDP Renováveis and Engie, in a statement.
According to the text, the project's three turbines have been supplying energy to Portugal's national grid since July 2020, "demonstrating the potential of floating wind technology," and the project's electricity production has been steadily increasing, reaching 78 GWh in 2022 and 80 GWh in 2023.
"In July 2024, it recorded a total accumulated production of 320 GWh, supplying energy every year to more than 25,000 homes in Viana do Castelo, while avoiding more than 33,000 tonnes of CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions and providing 1,500 direct and indirect jobs between the development, construction and operation phases," OW explains.
In a review of the project's four years of operation, the company recalls the "unprecedented challenges" it has faced, including storm Ciarán in 2023, during which "the system withstood waves reaching 20 metres high and wind gusts of up to 139 kilometres per hour, demonstrating its resilience and robustness."
Stating that it is "deeply committed to monitoring and improving the environmental performance of the WindFloat Atlantic wind farm throughout its life cycle," Ocean Winds says that so far it has "demonstrated minimal impact on the seabed and biodiversity," having identified "more than 270 species successfully coexisting with the project, with no significant adverse effects on marine mammals or endangered bird species."
In fact, it stresses, "studies show that the floating structures have encouraged marine life, contributing to a conservation effect and underwater reef."
To reaffirm its "commitment to the local community," on the project's fourth anniversary OW appointed as its first ambassador Viana do Castelo kitesurfer Pedro Afonso, who is "internationally recognised" and will be responsible for "promoting offshore wind energy and its benefits both in the city and globally."
Quoted in the statement, OW's head of Southern Europe and WindFloat Atlantic project director, José Pinheiro, stressed the company's commitment to ensuring that it "benefits not only the environment, but also the community," namely through the development of educational programmes, coordination of visits and engagement with the local community in Viana do Castelo.
When, in 2019, EDPR and Engie combined their offshore wind assets and projects in the pipeline to create OW, the company had a total of 1.5 GW under construction and 4.0 GW under development.
Since then, OW has been strengthening this portfolio, with the goal of reaching five to seven GW of projects in operation or construction and five to 10 GW in "advanced development" by 2025.
Currently, OW's gross offshore wind capacity already in operation, under construction or with advanced development rights granted exceeds 18 GW.
PD/ARO // ARO.
Lusa
