OMNI Features｜ADB Approves OSW Fund for Philippines to Conduct Feasibility Studies on Port / WindFloat Atlantic Exceeds Expectations Well Ahead / India's ONGC Signed Offshore Wind Joint Venture with NGEL

WindFloat Atlantic project, the world’s first semi-submersible floating offshore wind farm

｜ADB Approves Offshore Wind Fund for Philippines to Conduct Feasibility Studies on Port
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $400,000 fund for the Philippines to conduct studies on offshore wind (OSW) ports as the government aims to reduce carbon emissions by 75 percent by 2030.

The ADB’s climate change fund will focus on providing technical assistance to key government agencies on building OSW ports which serve as the storage area for equipment and raw materials for wind power facilities in the sea. The preliminary feasibility of OSW port is also essential to identify OSW priority sites for earlier deployment, while factoring available wind resource, grid capacity and access, and proximity of power load demand centers.

The project will be carried out with the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation and Philippine Ports Authority. Currently, the country sources up to 60 percent of its energy from coal. The DoE, however, said it aims to expand the share of renewable energy to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.

The DOE already approved 77 OSW service contracts as it targets to start building facilities with initial capacity of 20.5 GW.

｜WindFloat Atlantic Exceeds Expectations Well Ahead Before Its 2023 Closure
WindFloat Atlantic, the world’s first semi-submersible floating offshore wind farm, has completed its third year in operation, closing in 2023 with an electricity production of 80 GWh.

The pioneer project consists of three platforms, each supporting one 8.4 MW Vestas turbine, which are anchored with chains to the seabed and connected to the onshore substation in the Portuguese municipality of Viana do Castelo through a 20 km (12.43 miles) cable.

WindFloat Atlantic also closed 2023 breaking more records, with waves bringing from Storm Ciaran reaching a staggering maximum height of 20 m and wind gusts of up to 139 km per hour.

With 3 years of operating successfully, it is demonstrated that floating technology is reliable even in challenging environments and that it will allow to unlock offshore wind opportunities worldwide, considering that the project itself will be in operation for the next 25 years.

WindFloat Atlantic has also been a hub for innovative solutions and pilots, being a key part for the testing of projects such as ATLANTIS, which advocates for integrating robotics in offshore wind farms to decrease the Lvelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) by minimizing the reliance on support vessels for inspection and maintenance operations offshore, showcasing the project’s commitment to contribute to transformative initiatives that optimize operational efficiency and develop innovative solutions.

｜India’s ONGC Signed Offshore Wind Joint Venture with NGEL
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL) have signed a joint venture agreement to develop offshore wind energy projects both in India and internationally.

The agreement signed on 7 February, will see India’s largest oil and gas company and the fully owned subsidiary of India’s largest utility company NTPC joining forces to develop renewable energy and other energy transition projects, with a primary focus on offshore wind.

The partnership will additionally investigate potential prospects within sectors such as energy storage, green hydrogen, and its related derivatives such as green ammonia and green methanol. The decision to establish the joint venture follows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by both companies last year.

Reference: Daily Tribune｜WindFloat Atlantic｜offshorewind.biz