Italy opens the door to floating wind farms off Sicily's coast

Italian authorities recently approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a 250 MW floating wind farm project. It is the first approval for a project of this type in Italian waters. Investors expect the wind farm to be able to cover approximately 5% of Sicily's total electricity consumption.

In recent years, offshore wind power has expanded significantly in Europe. By the end of 2024, more than 34 GW of offshore wind capacity had been installed in coastal waters. A further 3.8 GW of capacity was added last year alone. Development has been concentrated mainly in northern Europe, in countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. By the end of 2023, more than 30 GW was in operation across these countries combined.

Italy, by contrast, is among the countries where offshore wind development has made little headway. The country currently has one operational offshore wind farm, the Beleolico project near Taranto in the Mediterranean Sea. At the end of 2023, just 30 MW had been installed in Italian waters.

A favorable opinion from Italy's Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security could help accelerate development. Last week, the ministry approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a project known as 7SeasMed Floating Offshore Wind. It is led by the investment fund Copenhagen Offshore Partners and owned by a consortium that also includes a subsidiary of Italian energy giant Eni.

“The EIA opinion is the result of our robust and collaborative approach across all environmental disciplines, including stakeholder engagement and the dialogue that the 7SeasMed team has conducted with public authorities at both national and local level,” said Alan Hannah, vice president of Copenhagen Offshore Partners.

Floating platforms and further plans for up to 3 GW

The project's planned installed capacity is 250 MW. Notably, it aims to build wind turbines on floating platforms. Successful completion of the project would therefore expand Italy's currently modest portfolio and add turbines with floating structures to the map. In Europe and around the world, these are still largely at the pilot project stage.

The consortium has not yet disclosed technical details. The wind farm is expected to be located around 32 kilometres off the west coast of Sicily, near Marsala. It is estimated that it will supply about 5% of the island's total electricity consumption.

The 7SeasMed project is part of a larger offshore wind portfolio with total capacity of up to 3 GW, making it one of the largest offshore wind portfolios in southern Europe. In addition to 7SeasMed, the consortium plans to develop the Ichnusa (504 MW, Sardinia), Tyrrhenian (500 MW, Latium), Nurax (500 MW, Sardinia) and Poseidon (1,000 MW, Sardinia) projects. The aim is to begin commercial operations between 2028 and 2031.