The report shows the results of a technical-economic assessment of future floating offshore wind farms in Italy in two scenarios: in the first, installation takes place in 2030, while in the second scenario it takes place in 2060. The economic model chosen for the assessment was the simple LCoE (Levelised Cost of Energy).

Floating wind technology is currently in an advanced demonstration phase. Only two floating wind farms are installed: one offshore Scotland, with a single-column ballasted platform (Hywind), and the other offshore Portugal, with a three-float semi-submersible platform with active stability compensation (WindFloat). Floating wind technology is particularly important for Italy as most of the country’s offshore wind potential is located in marine areas with seabeds deeper than 50 m where wind turbines on fixed foundations cannot be installed. One of the parameters that allow to assess the the potential of floating offshore wind farms is the economic aspect, which is currently much debated in the international arena, since the costs of this technology are high but could fall rapidly as it has happened for the onshore wind and for the fixed foundation offshore wind sectors. This aspect is particularly important for Italy as the wind resource is on average lower than that of the Northern European seas and oceans where the demonstrations are being carried out. Wide-ranging technical-economic assessments were therefore conducted to evaluate the economic sustainability of these plants in Italy in the medium and long term.

LCoE assessments were conducted parametrically as a function of distance to the coast and possible production in different marine areas. For the 2030 scenario, a reference wind farm was built based on the current trend of the sector and the values reported in the literature. For the 2060 scenario, possible variations in the wind resource due to climate change were also taken into account, as well as the reduction in costs due to improvements in this technology and its widespread diffusion.

Considering the future marketing phase, In Italy, in both scenarios costs are comparable to the estimates reported by authoritative sources in the sector.