Saipem and Divento, a partnership between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, GreenIT, a joint venture between Plenitude  and CDP Equity , 7 Seas Wind Power and NiceTechnology, have signed a collaboration agreement involving the application of STAR 1, Saipem’s proprietary technology for floating wind, in favour of  the 7 Seas Med projects in Sicily and Ichnusa Wind Power in Sardinia, with the aim of supporting their participation to the firsts auctions provided for the Fer2 Decree.

Saipem was selected after a competitive technical-economic feasibility procedure.

STAR 1 is a technology developed for the making of semi-submersible floating wind foundations, born from Saipem’s decades of experience in the design, construction and installation of subsea infrastructures, able to offer a light industrial solution, easy to build, assemble and maintain.

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

Ichnusa Wind Power is a project that will be developed by the namesake company about 40 km from the south-western 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 innovative renewables technologies, among which floating offshore wind.

The collaboration agreement between Saipem and Divento brings together two strong entities, their respective skills and long-term strategic approach, aimed at the implementation of all project phases. It represents a successful example of excellence in Italian engineering and cooperation between Italian and Northern European investors, aimed at creating value for offshore floating wind sector. A technology which is potentially scalable on large volumes in Italy, representing at the same time a challenge and a unique opportunity for the domestic energy market and for the national production chain.

“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. 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”, underlines Paolo Bellucci, CEO of GreenIT.

“We are pleased to announce this collaboration with Saipem for our floating offshore wind projects in Italy. 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”, adds Kunal Patel, Partner of CIP.