Italy has granted the first environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval for a floating offshore wind project to a consortium including Eni-led renewables venture GreenIT and Danish fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).
The 250 MW project called 7SeasMed will be located approximately 35 km off the coast of Marsala, Sicily and led by Copenhagen Offshore Partners, the exclusive offshore wind development partner of CIP.
Approval of the EIA paves the way for the construction and operation of the offshore wind farm, which will use cutting-edge technologies and environmentally conscious practices and also position Sicily as an important hub for renewable energy generation in Italy. The wind farm is expected to provide energy to more than 70,000 homes in Sicily, or around 5% of the island’s total electricity consumption.
“The EIA Decree is the result of our robust and collaborative approach to all environmental disciplines, including stakeholder engagement and dialogue the 7SeasMed team has conducted with public bodies at both the national and local levels” said Alan Hannah, COP Partner and Europe Market Development Lead. “Floating offshore wind is moving from demonstration to first industrialisation and we are proud to have 7SeasMed play a key role in this momentum.”
7SeasMed is part of a larger 3 GW offshore wind portfolio in Italy owned by the GreenIT and CIP partnership, which also includes three floaters in Sardinia totaling around 2 GW in capacity. Founded in 2021, GreenIT is a joint venture, owned 51% by Eni’s Plenitude and 49% by CDP Equity.
