Portuguese port city gets second act as offshore wind hub

 

Portuguese port city gets second act as offshore wind hub

 

Viana do Castelo is betting that investment in renewable energy can revive its economy.

 

BY AITOR HERNÁNDEZ-MORALES

July 23, 2021 6:30 am

https://www.politico.eu/article/portuguese-port-city-gets-second-act-as-offshore-wind-hub/

 

VIANA DO CASTELO, Portugal — The fortunes of the Portuguese port city of Viana do Castelo have always been tied to the ocean.

 

During the 16th century, the port became a primary launch point for explorers and merchants seeking new trade routes. The harbor later became a hub for fishermen and merchant vessels sailing to the country's colonial possessions in Africa and Asia.

 

Now, a burgeoning offshore wind sector stands to transform Viana's economy yet again. This time, the hope is to turn the port into a major renewable power hub and a key player in the EU's green energy future.

 

Some of that potential can already be seen from the city's coastline, where clear days offer up a glimpse of the three massive turbines that make up the floating wind farm known as WindFloat Atlantic.

 

The structure is anchored 20 kilometers off the coast along a stretch of the Atlantic known for its strong winds — and ferocious storms. Last year, the floating technology became the first of its kind to be tested in EU waters.

 

"This project represents what's next for Europe," said José Pinheiro, country manager for Southern Europe at Ocean Winds, one of the companies involved in the joint-venture scheme.

 

"Until now, offshore wind farms have been limited to shallow waters, but by mounting the turbines on floating platforms that are anchored to the seabed, we're taking advantage of much stronger wind flows."

 

The project "proves that floating offshore is viable in Atlantic waters," he added. "That's hugely important for Europe given how much of the continent has very deep waters near the coastline."

 

Anchored at a depth of 100 meters, the turbines have an installed capacity of 25 megawatts (MW) — roughly equivalent to the energy consumed by 60,000 homes in one year.

 

Brussels is hoping that a rapid ramp-up of this kind of floating infrastructure will help the bloc meet its objective of expanding the 12 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity it had in 2020 to at least 60 GW by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050.

 

By hosting a pioneer project, the city of Viana stands to play a major part in that rollout by focusing on the production of wind energy components and using its port to ship them around the bloc.

 

"We've now gained the know-how that other countries don't have, both in terms of production and administrative procedures related to this kind of project," said Pinheiro. "There's enormous production potential here."

 

Local game-changer

Floating technology would enable Portugal to become a leader in the offshore wind sector, which up until now had only taken off in countries with shallow waters off their coastlines, according to Pinheiro.

 

"This is a game-changer for countries with thousands of kilometers of coastlines but rather deep waters," he said, adding that the technology was already generating enormous excitement in Spain, Italy and Greece, where a number of different floating offshore schemes are in the works.

 

Pinheiro said the sector would help create new jobs and rehabilitate ports where carbon-heavy industrial activities are being phased out.

 

The Portuguese government, too, is banking on an expansion of offshore renewable energy as part of its efforts not only to reach climate targets but to boost its post-pandemic recovery.

 

"There's huge potential for creating new, highly-paid, quality jobs in this sector," Portuguese Minister of the Sea Ricardo Serrão Santos told POLITICO in an interview. "In Viana, we can see the expansion of offshore driving growth potential in dockyards, in the metallurgic sector ... But this applies to all of Portugal, and we are eager to see the further development of this technology."

 

While land-bound wind farms, and even some anchored offshore wind turbines, have been met with local protests in some parts of Europe, floating structures have so far proven to be less contentious. That's partly because they're located far away from shore, meaning campaigners are less worried about towers marring the ocean landscape, according to Pinheiro.

 

"We also made sure to engage with the local fishermen's associations and engaged with them during the public consultation periods to make sure that they were also satisfied," he said.

 

Luís Ceia, president of the Business Confederation of the Alto Minho region, said local residents have reacted positively to the new offshore structures as well.

 

"There's a lot of excitement over what green energy can mean for us, and political and business leaders are working together to be proactive," he said. "We want to bring in jobs that take advantage of our natural resources, that are good for the environment, and that mean better working conditions in our region."

 

German wind energy giant Enercom is already a major employer for locals in the area. Its Viana hub, initially focused on domestic demand, has become a major exporter to foreign markets and has made use of the port to ship its turbines around the world.

 

Pinheiro predicted the floating offshore hub would build on that success. "This port has always determined our city's existence," he said. "We've suffered when it's entered periods of decline, but we've flourished when it's functioned well."