As the Colombian Government launched the country’s Offshore Wind Roadmap on 3 May, BlueFloat Energy revealed it has seven offshore wind projects under development in the country. This is just half of what the company plans in South America since there are also seven projects the Spanish developer is planning offshore Brazil.
In Colombia, BlueFloat Energy plans to build seven offshore wind farms totalling 5.2 GW in capacity, of which a project called Vientos Alisios is the most advanced with pre-feasibility status already granted and grid connection secured.
The company is developing Vientos Alisios, planned to be built in the waters between the Atlantic and Bolívar departments, together with Enerxia Renovables, its strategic partner in the country.
According to BlueFloat, Vientos Alisios is the most advanced offshore wind project in Colombia to date as it was the first project that was granted the pre-feasibility status from the Colombian Maritime Authority (DIMAR) . The project achieved this in January 2021 and also secured an offer for the 200 MW grid connection from Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME), for which the guarantee was presented on the 28 April of this year, the developer said.
The first offshore wind farm to be built in the country, according to information from the Colombian Government, will be the 350 MW project in Barranquilla, developed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Public Lighting of Barranquilla (APBAQ).
For BlueFloat, the seven projects on the northwestern coast of the South America are not the only ones planned in the continent’s waters, since the company also has plans in Brazil totalling almost 15 GW .
As reported in the Premium section on our sister site Offshore Energy last month, BlueFloat has applied with the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA) for approval to undertake environmental impact assessment to support the development of seven projects in four states: Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, and Espírito Santo.
According to IBAMA’s data, two of the BlueFloat’s projects have a capacity of more than 3 GW and the company plans to use wind turbines of up to 20 MW for its offshore wind farms in Brazil.
The projects are among the 55 IBAMA is currently reviewing as part of its process to grant permits for environmental investigations.