Floating wind project signals first of many in Italy

The estimated electricity generating capacity of the projects, which will cost €6 billion to develop and build, will total 9GW, Baywa says, and are in various stages of development.

The Germany-based company has set up shop in Rome to take care of its Italian projects, which are in the four different regions of Sicily, Sardinia, Puglia and Lazio.

“Over the next years, BayWa r.e. will continue to invest resources and expertise to implement innovative solutions such as offshore wind, to not only contribute to a concrete path towards decarbonisation for Italy, but also create economic opportunities and promote sustainable development at a regional level,” said Giulia Lo Bianco, head of Offshore Wind BayWa Italy.

Up to five of the projects could be operational by 2030,and they will all be developed under a new offshore subsidiary.

BayWa also has projects in the UK, France, Germany, Portugal and Australia, it says.

Italy, whose boot-shape coastline is the fifth longest of all European countries, should have vast offshore wind potential.

To date, there is just one fully completed offshore wind farm and it is a small one, Beleolico in southeast Italy, which consists of 10 turbines generating just 3MW each.

However the government made some bureaucratic simplifications in 2022 and since then approvals for connections to the grid have increased by 200%, the national transmission grid operator Terna, which approves applications, said.