A pioneer in floating offshore facilities in continental Europe, the third and final WindFloat Atlantic platform was built at the Navantia shipyard in Fene and departed for the United States on May 28, 2020. Its destination was the Portuguese town of Viana do Castelo. The voyage lasted three days and was described as a milestone by the group’s renewable energy subsidiary PDE, the project’s main partner. This 30 meter tall floating structure carries an 8 megawatt turbine and sits on three legs spaced fifty meters apart. Its two sister platforms were already connected to shore via a twenty kilometer undersea cable. During the five year test phase from 2011 to 2016, two megawatts of electricity were generated, and the current commercial park is fully operational, with enough power to supply around 60,000 residents.
WindFloat Atlantic’s experience and the studies conducted by organizations with offshore renewable energy expertise serve as a reference for selecting suitable sites in Portugal to promote wind energy. The government has set a target of reaching ten gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030, aiming to more than triple the current roadmap for offshore wind and offshore energy development in Spain, which envisions between one and three gigawatts. A potential increase may come from revisions to the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan for 2021–2030 by the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Portuguese authorities sit along the Galician border, within a reserved polygon off Viana do Castelo. The country expects to reach two gigawatts of offshore wind. The pilot area where WindFloat Atlantic was tested covers 47 square kilometers and could expand to 663 square kilometers under a preliminary offshore wind surface proposal released for public display by the executive board.
That first border near Galicia was included in the National Maritime Area Planning Situation Plan, the Portuguese version of the Spanish Marine Spatial Planning Plans, approved in 2019. Three years later, interest in offshore renewable energy in Portugal has grown significantly, driven by energy security concerns and the broader EU push to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Bet on the industry
The energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and visible climate change effects are pushing Portugal to accelerate the deployment of renewable resources, especially those in maritime areas. Since the country pledged to advance offshore wind, demand for offshore parks has surged, with a goal of hitting ten gigawatts by 2030.
The technical and geographic challenges resemble those faced across the Iberian Peninsula. The Portuguese sea features depths that rise quickly offshore, which informs site selection for floating wind turbines anchored to the seabed. Georeferenced areas have been identified where floating platforms can produce electricity, similar to northern Europe where offshore installations are common, and there is potential for wave-powered electricity generation.
Selected areas
Other offshore wind hubs in Portugal include Leixões, with 463.4 square kilometers and a plan for 1.5 GW; Figueira da Foz, 1,237.3 square kilometers and 4 GW; Ericeira, 256.8 square kilometers; and Sintra-Cascais, 83.7 square kilometers with 1 GW to be developed jointly. In addition, areas around Matosinhos and the Port of Sines are being considered, with projected capacities of 994.95 MW and 53 MW respectively. The ministries of Economy and Sea, Environment and Climate Action, and Infrastructure are also establishing two more zones with maximum depths suitable for fixed offshore wind farms.
Except for the last two, these zones lie within roughly 5.65 to 30.03 nautical miles from shore, or about 10.5 to 55.6 kilometers, to minimize interference with local fishing and recreational boating. The network for transmission infrastructure will be designed to absorb park output. In the Viana do Castelo industrial zone, there is also consideration of extending the grid northward and linking Spain and Portugal through an electrified corridor with Galicia.
Auction
The Portuguese government is advancing ecological transition and decarbonization. In the near term, a first offshore wind power auction is planned for the last quarter of the year, reflecting strong investment interest from multiple international companies in Portugal’s offshore wind sector. The maritime ministry has also signaled substantial investments for renewable resource exploration at sea and the creation of new jobs related to these projects.