Zurich/Milan/Barium, 23 February 2023. Galileo, the pan-European renewable energy development platform, and Hope Group, the Apulia-based player active in the design of renewable plants, launch Barium Bay, the new joint venture dedicated to another development in Italy’s Adriatic Sea. The plant will have a target capacity of 1,100MW and will be using floating offshore wind technology.

The project, carrying the same name as the joint venture, will be positioned over 40 kilometres from the shoreline, spread from Barium to North of Barletta. Barium Bay has been designed with 74 wind turbines of 15 MW each and, given the site’s high distance from the shore, will be able to capture wind speeds sufficient to produce over 3 billion kilowatt hours, which represents the annual electricity demand of over one million Italian households. The joint venture Barium Bay is currently completing the necessary environmental and technical studies, with the objective to file its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application within summer 2023.

In parallel, the JV will begin a 24-month wind measurement campaign atsea together with Eolos Floating Lidar Solutions, the Spanish firm specialized in this sector. The Barium Bay project further consolidates Galileo and Hope’s partnership, which started with Lupiae Maris, the joint venture for the development of a 525 MW wind farm with the same technology in Apulia, Italy, off the Brindisi and Lecce coasts.

«We are enthusiastic and satisfied for having strengthened our partnership with Galileo. This confirms the validity of our collaboration and the synergies arising from it, thanks to which we developed competencies making us a reference in the growing Italian offshore wind market. Barium Bay is an incredible opportunity also for the local community, which can become a hub of new capabilities for the energy transition. We are impressed by the positive and constructive discussions that we are having, on a daily basis, with local and national institutions: this makes us optimistic about the next steps of the project» explains Michele Scoppio, CEO of Hope Group.

«Barium Bay is a landmark project thanks to both its scale and potential contribution to Italy’s energy transition using exclusively local energy sources. The Adriatic Sea offers a winning combination of key factors that make floating offshore wind projects highly attractive for Italy: good wind speeds, vast areas, and suitable connection solutions to the national grid. Finding a valid answer to cover the electricity needs of over a million Italian households is a great source of motivation and determination!» affirms Ingmar Wilhelm, Galileo’s Chief Executive Officer.