Saipem Floating Wind Technology For Mediterranean Offshore Wind Projects

Saipem and Divento have signed a collaboration agreement involving the application of STAR 1, Saipem’s proprietary technology for floating wind. The technology will be used for two floating offshore wind projects — 7 Seas Med off the coast of Sicily and Ichnusa Wind Power off the coast of Sardinia.

Saipem was selected after a technical-economic feasibility procedure. STAR 1 is a technology developed for semi-submersible floating wind foundations, born from Saipem’s experience in the design, construction, and installation of subsea infrastructures. According to Saipem, Star 1 can offer a light industrial solution that is easy to build, assemble, and maintain.

Star1 is a steel semi-submersible floating wind foundation shaped like a “star”— hence the name. Star 1 consists of three arms converging at the center, where the tower supports turbines that can exceed 20 MW. The configuration minimizes the stresses and movements of the turbine and optimizes the loads on the mooring lines that anchor it to the seabed.

Thanks to its geometry and mooring system, Star 1 offers remarkable stability in water, significantly minimizing turbine stresses and movements, according to Saipem. Star 1 technology is ready for front-end engineering design followed, detailed design and industrial-scale deployment.

The 7 Seas Med floating wind project, located in the Strait of Sicily over 22 miles (35 km) from the coast, will have a capacity of 252 MW and a yearly production of about 800 GWh. It is the first project of its kind in Italy to receive the environmental compatibility decree from the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security.

Ichnusa Wind Power will be developed about 25 miles (40 km) from the southwestern coast of Sardinia, with a capacity of 504 MW and a yearly production of about 1.6 TWh of renewable energy.

Both initiatives are in the development phase and awaiting the completion of the definition of the regulatory framework for the first auctions for Italian renewables technologies, among which floating offshore wind.

The collaboration between Saipem and Divento blends Italian engineering with Northern European investors to support growth in the offshore wind industry. New technology debuted at the project represents an opportunity for the domestic energy market and for Italy to progress on its climate targets.

“This agreement further strengthens the development of our 7 Seas Med and Ichnusa projects, which are at the forefront of floating offshore wind in Italy,” said Paolo Bellucci, chief executive officer of GreenIT. “Together with Saipem, Divento could act as a pioneer, facilitating the dissemination of local expertise and the construction of logistics infrastructures, fostering the growth of this new and important industrial sector in our country.”

“We are pleased to announce this collaboration with Saipem for our floating offshore wind projects in Italy,” said Kunal Patel, partner of CIP. “Saipem is a global company with great experience in the implementation of subsea EPCI projects, a strategic requirement to accelerate our projects. Floating offshore wind can play an important role both for the Italian industry and for the production of safe and renewable energy. We therefore await clarifications on the CfD system for floating offshore wind, which is essential to allow this potential to materialize.”