Massive 20MW turbines proposed for world’s first subsidy-free floating wind farm

Joshua S Hill 18 October 2022

German renewable energy developer BayWa has unveiled plans to use massive 20MW turbines in what it says will be the world’s first subsidy-free floating offshore wind project off the coast of Portugal.

BayWa says it wants to build a 600MW floating wind farm off the coastline of Viana do Castelo, in the north-west Norte Region of Portugal, and plans to serve this with just 30 turbines, or an average of 20MW each.

The project has been unveiled ahead of a series of offshore wind tenders planned in Portugal as part of that country’s plans to lift its share of renewables to 80 per cent of electricity production by 2026.

BayWa hopes that this project will also serve as a blueprint for future projects in the area. The company also intends to support the creation of a global floating offshore wind supply chain in Portugal, relying on existing local infrastructure that future projects will be able to rely upon.

“Our project will be a real milestone for the Portuguese offshore industry,” said Ricardo Rocha, technical director for offshore wind at BayWa r.e.

“Now is the time to take it to the next level. We are looking forward to continuing collaborating with the Portuguese government and authorities, to make this project not only a project in Portugal, but also and especially, for Portugal.”