IberBlue Wind, a joint venture operating in the Iberian market, is to construct two floating offshore wind projects on the Iberian North Atlantic coast. They will be located on the border between Spain and Portugal and have a combined capacity of up to 1.96 GW.
The projects, named Juan Sebastián Elcano and Creoula, will consist of approximately 109 turbines and will occupy an area of 530 sq km off the coast of Baixo Miño in Pontevedra, and Viana do Castelo. The names Juan Sebastián Elcano and Creoula were chosen for the projects as a tribute to two historic training ships that are part of the Spanish and Portuguese navy.
The global investment required for the construction and maintenance of the two projects could exceed €4000 million and generate more than 5000 jobs. They are said to represent a pioneering approach to offshore floating wind development that will bring important benefits for both countries. It is estimated that the cost of their joint development could be 32% lower than if they were to be developed separately, because of the maximisation of synergies in resourcing, and economies of scale during the construction and operational phases. The benefits will come to both countries, which operate as one within MIBEL, the Iberian Electricity Market.
Juan Sebastián Elcano will consist of 29 wind turbines, each rated at 18 MW, for a nominal capacity of 522 MW. The wind turbines, installed on floating platforms anchored to the seabed, will extend from As Mariñas to A Guarda, over an area of117 square kilometers. At between 20 and 35 km from the coast, their visual impact will be much reduced. The location is within the delimitations recently established by the Spanish government under its Maritime Space Management Plans, among which is the North Atlantic demarcation, called NOR-1.
Creoula will consist of 80 turbines, each rated at 18 MW, making an installed capacity of 1440 MW. The project will cover an area of 413 sq km, located between 20 and 40 km from coast.
Creoula is also located within the areas proposed by the Portuguese government for offshore wind farm development and will contribute to its target to install 10 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
Image courtesy of IberBlue Wind
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