Spanish energy firms embark on floating wind energy pledge | Economie

Drip has already started. Two big names in the Spanish energy sector, oil company Repsol and electricity and gas company Naturegy, have announced in recent days their first projects for floating winds on the Iberian Peninsula, a technology still in its infancy but that fits the glove. To its coastal side: very deep waters a short distance from the coast, disabling any option for a conventional offshore wind installation, requiring stable foundations that are impossible from 50 meters deep.

And they’re not the only ones: Iberdrola and other smaller companies have expressed interest in participating in a process that appears vital for Spain to meet its climate goals and reduce its dependence on foreign energy. The Spanish executive’s plans are set to reach three gigawatts of installed floating offshore wind capacity in 2030. According to information provided by the Ministry of Environmental Transformation five months ago, seven out of 27 “floating wind turbine solutions” are now underway worldwide She is Spanish. Generation costs are still notably higher than those of PV, onshore wind and offshore wind, but the proliferation of projects will make them progressively cheaper.

Repsol was the first to come off the hook this week with a specific plan to enter the floating wind energy field. The company headed by Josu Jon Imaz — which has set out to shift the paradigm that will move it from the pure oil business on which most of its income statement depends today, to one focused more on renewable energies — opened Tuesday on the path of flotation. Danish hand Ørsted, a leading company in this sector. The ambition of both companies is clear: to “become a leading participant in the development of offshore floating winds” in Spain.

Agreement between Repsol and Ørsted It goes through “the identification of floating offshore wind projects and, where appropriate, their joint development” on the Spanish coast. The oil company claims to have in renewable generation “one of its pillars of decarbonization,” with the ambition to reach 20 gigawatts of installed capacity (between wind and solar) in 2030. Ørsted, for his part, already has 11 gigawatts of installed wind capacity: 7.6 GW at sea and another 3.4 GW on land, and just opened its first office in Spain. “The supply chain is poised to enter this technology thanks to decades of experience supplying the large fleet of onshore wind farms in Spain,” Repsol said in the statement disclosed by Repsol on the project.

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Barely 24 hours later, Naturgy announced an agreement with Norway’s Equinor – which already has extensive experience in offshore wind energy, both in Northern Europe, the UK and the US – to work together on analysis and opportunities for “this technology in Spain” that has great potential in Our country.” Both companies will develop a project “that can participate in the first wind auction Navy From Spain ”, in the waters of the Canary.

In this scenario, Naturgy and Equinor will join forces to explore the joint potential of developing this new technology in Spain. In this alliance, the Spanish energy company will contribute its experience in the development of onshore wind energy in our country and the Norwegian company will contribute its proven capabilities in floating technology Navy.

“The development of floating wind energy opens a window of opportunity that is very suitable for Spain, as it allows to take advantage of locations far from the coast, with excellent wind resources, and to act as a driver of the economy through key sectors such as marine or civil”, emphasizes the Director General of Renewables, New Business and Innovation at Nature, Jorge Barredo. “This is not just an energy opportunity, but an industrial opportunity as well.”

Iberdrola, for its part, has already submitted to the Ministry for environmental transformation projects adding up to 1,000 megawatts (1 gigawatt) of offshore wind capacity at various locations across national geography—the Canary Islands, Catalonia, and Galicia—”pending final approval for The maritime space planning plan, the regulatory framework is drawn up and the mechanisms of competitive compatibility are established by the Ministry that allow progress in the development of projects in Spanish geography,” according to sources from the company headed by Ignacio Sanchez Galán.

Of the three major Spanish electricity companies, only one – Endesa – has pulled out of plans to develop offshore wind power. the reason? Its commitment to renewable technologies is in maturity, such as photovoltaic or onshore wind, and not much is in development. “We will focus on investing in proven technologies, such as solar PV or onshore wind,” said a spokesperson for the company headed by Jose Bogas, who will wait a few years to enter an alternative generation that promises significant returns in the long run.