Offshore Wind Farm Will Take This Country’s Clean Energy to the Next Level

Portugal is set to have its first offshore wind power farm, and many large businesses are looking to make the massive project come true, helping the ever-energy-progressive European country to add 10 gigawatts of installed wind capacity by 2030.

“We are seeing great interest from these international companies, especially from German companies, Denmark, and other Nordic nations,” explains Economy Minister Antonio Costa e Silva. “We are going to speed up the process and want to launch the auction in the third quarter.”

Germany’s BayWa is among the companies vying for the chance to win the auction. Its goal is to install a subsidy-free commercial floating offshore wind project in the Atlantic – the first of its kind – in the form of 30 turbines that could generate up to 600 megawatts of capacity. Portugal has a more competitive advantage because of its cheaper energy costs and its powerful and durable offshore wind potential. The country has set the target of generating 80% of its annual electricity usage from renewables by 2026. That ratio was 60% in 2022, one of the highest in Europe.