Italy’s First Offshore Wind Farm is Officially up for Commercial Operations

On Thursday, 21 April 2022, Italy witnessed the inauguration of the country’s first offshore wind farm. The Port of Taranto was the site to celebrate the commissioning of the 30 MW Beleolico offshore wind farm. It boasts ten MySE3.0-135 wind turbines that were installed by Van Oord and delivered by MingYang Smart Energy. This makes them the first Chinese turbines for commercial operations in European waters.

With 30 MW of power, this wind farm can now power approx. 20,000 households yearly. The farm can generate power up to 58,000 megawatt-hours (MWh). So, it can easily meet the energy needs of around 60,000 people in the region.

At the event, Renexia even signed up an agreement with the authority of the Port of Taranto for selling a minimum of 10-percent of energy generated by the wind farm. It means that the wind farm will indulge in the sale of around 220MWh power per year.

Image: Electrek

The President of the Giovanni Gugliotti, Province of Taranto, and the Extraordinary Commissioner of the Municipality of Taranto, Vincenzo Cardellicchio, were all present at this special event for the country.

Some other attendees from the event included Stefano Ciafani, President of Legambiente, Riccardo Toto General Director of Renexia, Sergio Prete, Alessandro Cecchi Paone, journalist, and popularizer, and President of the Ionian Sea Port Authority.

Also Read: World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Produces its First Power

Besides this particular wind farm, the government has also approved the construction of six more wind farms on the land – running from Sardinia to Basilicata. This is because Italy is now considering renewable energy as the ultimate solution to the rising energy crisis.

Italy has also announced to end up its reliance on Russian gas by 2025, along with the UK, the Eu, and the US. Hence, it’s a serious step from their end to cut their energy ties with Russia.

Image: EuroNews.Green

Via: Electrek