- GOE-Asime, Windar Renovables, Navantia Seanergies and the Xunta de Galicia held yesterday and today in Ferrol the 7th edition of the Galician Offshore International Hub (GOinterHUB), the leading international conference on offshore wind energy.
- More than 30 speakers from leading companies, institutions, international associations and investors have discussed in recent days the potential of offshore wind energy at both national and international level, highlighting the local value chain and the opportunities for collaboration in this fast-growing renewable industry.
- The event has platinum sponsorship from Iberdrola, Santander and Industrias Ferri.
Once again, the 7th edition of the international GOinterHUB conference brought together in Ferrol, yesterday and today, more than 400 business representatives and leading offshore wind energy organizations, in order to showcase the logistical capabilities and business cooperation in this internationally growing field.
First day of the conference
The 7th GOinterHUB began yesterday with several thematic sessions. There was detailed discussion of European projects and funds, highlighting three benchmark initiatives in offshore wind energy involving Asime. These are the European FLORES project (which promotes the qualification of professionals in the field of marine energies through a skills pact at European level), the AOWINDE project (a public-private alliance in the Galicia–Northern Portugal Euroregion to jointly and coordinately accelerate the development and relevance of offshore wind energy in this territory), and the Supercluster Atlantic Wind (an alliance of the offshore wind industrial clusters of Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias, supported by their respective regional governments, to boost the sector’s contribution to the deployment of offshore wind in northern Spain and collaborate in its international positioning).
Next, leading offshore wind associations at regional (GOE-Asime and EGA), national (Supercluster SAW) and European (WindEurope) levels outlined some of the challenges currently facing the sector.
At the same time, around ten leading international entities, partners in the European FLORES and Shorewinner projects, met at the CIS in Ferrol, coinciding with their participation in the GOinterHUB conference.
The conference continued in the afternoon with the traditional visit to the Navantia-Fene shipyard facilities and a networking dinner at Pazo do Monte for all participants, speakers and institutions attending the conference.
Second day of the conference
Today, Friday, October 25, the conference activity was concentrated at the CIS in Ferrol, with an intensive day of presentations featuring more than 30 national and international speakers who discussed the current state of offshore wind energy in Galicia, Spain and worldwide, shedding light on the developments needed to boost in our country this internationally growing industry, in which Galicia has enormous capabilities across the entire value chain.
At the opening, Rebeca Acebrón, Vice President of Asime, highlighted that “This 7th edition of the conference is clear proof that Ferrol and Galicia are already a well-established international offshore wind hub. GOinterHUB is a key meeting point for continuing to work on consensus and cooperation among all stakeholders within the framework of Europe’s decarbonization and the strengthening of our industrial value chain, especially at this moment, when the Central Government has just approved the regulation for the deployment of offshore wind farms”
In this regard, Asime recalled that Galicia accounts for 43% of the areas designated by the government as potential sites for offshore wind farm deployment. In addition to an excellent wind resource, they highlighted the strong position the Galician industry already holds in offshore wind, generating employment and wealth. “Offshore wind is an opportunity for our industry. In fact, today in Europe there is only enough capacity to supply 50% of all the offshore wind farms planned for development, and our industry is already very well positioned internationally. So much so that, of the only 5 floating wind farms installed in Europe, 3 feature Galician technology. We must now scale up those efforts.”
Juventino Trigo, Mayor of Fene: “This 7th GOinterHUB once again places Ferrolterra as the capital of offshore wind, an industry that can play a key role in energy sustainability. Companies and public administrations must commit more than ever to the development of this technology to help curb climate change. It is an area of opportunity to achieve that decarbonization, but also the industrial development of our territory. We have a dynamic university, appropriate facilities, leading companies and qualified professionals. Ferrolterra must be the R&D forum for renewable technologies, while being scrupulous with the environment and with activities such as fishing, as well as with the development of the territory where these projects are based.”
Jose Manuel Rey, Mayor of Ferrol: “Ferrol is at the center of the offshore wind energy revolution. We not only have to work on construction, but also on innovation, while respecting the environment and other resources that are part of our tradition, something that is possible, as has been seen in other countries. We are calling for certainty so that there are no delays on the part of the administration; this is a reality, and we must overcome rigidities through agreement and dialogue. In Ferrol we are optimistic: we have submitted a budget for 2025 that allocates €2 million to establish here the headquarters of the innovation hub for marine energy and energy storage, precisely at this CIS venue, together with the university.”
Lizet Ramírez, Senior Analyst at WindEurope, shared the vision of Europe’s most relevant wind energy association: “Europe has 35 GW of offshore wind installed in its seas, covering 4% of Europe’s energy demand. The goal is to reach 150 GW by 2030 and 450 GW by 2050, in order to become the first decarbonized continent on the planet. We have to grow exponentially, and there is no time to lose. Europe needs both fixed-bottom and floating wind; otherwise, we will not be able to reach the target. The good news is that Europe is already a leader in offshore wind in terms of both technology and capacity.”
Offshore wind associations from Germany, Japan, Ireland and Spain (Germany’s Offshore Wind Energy Foundation, Japan Wind Power Association, Northern Ireland Maritime and Offshore Network, Supercluster Atlantic Wind of northern Spain, and the Spanish Wind Energy Association) discussed in a round table the present and future of offshore wind at national and international level, sharing synergies and investment opportunities.
Philipp Josef Tremer, Project Manager, Offshore Wind Energy Foundation (Germany): “In Germany we have 29 offshore wind farms with 600 turbines, producing 8.9 GW and covering 10% of our renewable mix. At the beginning, all components and development were done locally, generating an entirely new industry and value in our country. Now, unfortunately, that is no longer the case. We are partly losing that local value because cost was prioritized, which in our opinion was the wrong decision. Our advice for Galicia and Spain is to work on early-stage developments involving all stakeholders, to communicate well in order to combat the fake news surrounding this sector, and to be optimistic, because it really is the moment for offshore wind.”
Yoshinori Ueda, General Manager, JWPA (Japan Wind Power Association): “In Japan we have three offshore wind plants installed. We are working to create an offshore wind hub in Asia that serves not only Japan, but also India, Korea and the Philippines. Our goal is to reach 10 GW in the coming years, which is why we invite all Spanish companies to explore ties with our Japanese partners and enter this booming market.”
Francisco Royano, Representative of SAW (Supercluster Atlantic Wind): “From this cluster formed by Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria, we are promoting the value chain in all three regions, driving, among other key actions, R&D projects such as Bahia H2 Offshore, through which we will connect floating wind with hydrogen and ammonia production. We place special emphasis on floating wind, which has very different buoyancy characteristics and requires specific regulation.”
NIMO (Northern Ireland Maritime and Offshore): “Spain and Northern Ireland are in a very similar position. Both countries are waiting for the deployment of offshore wind farms in our waters. In the case of Northern Ireland, the first auction round will be for 1 GW in 2026, with another 3–4 GW in the following years. However, we are not standing still in the meantime. Both countries have a highly prepared value chain, so the opportunity for synergies between our companies is highly significant.”
Juan Virgilio, Managing Director, AEE (Spanish Wind Energy Association): “In Spain we have the know-how and the competitiveness, but it is urgent to develop a local market, with offshore wind farms in our waters; otherwise, we will lose ground in this global race. This is especially relevant because here, due to the characteristics of our coasts, we will need to deploy floating wind, and this is a technology that needs to be developed in order to become competitive. Without real projects, there will be no development.”
Navantia Seanergies and Windar Renovables presented the flagship projects they are developing in the Ferrolterra area as leading companies in the local value chain, while Iberdrola shared its perspective from the developers’ point of view.
Francisco Silva, Galicia Delegate at Iberdrola: “We must commit to green energies that help leave behind the demand for fossil fuels, which, in addition to emitting greenhouse gases and contributing to global warming, generate inflation, supply restrictions and environmental health problems. More than a decade ago, Iberdrola trusted Galicia as its partner in manufacturing many of its components for infrastructure projects around the world. The jackets and monopiles built at Navantia, to cite one example, have helped revive a local economy heavily affected by the restructuring of the shipbuilding sector, thanks to the company’s commitment to renewables made in Galicia.”
Manuel Bermúdez de Castro, Director of Offshore Foundations and Platforms Business Unit, Navantia Seanergies, referred to the opportunities and challenges of offshore wind, in which the Fene shipyard has accumulated a decade of experience. “We have had full occupancy over the last ten years. The biggest current challenge is to develop the supply chain for the scenario we will face from 2027 onward,” and he added that “offshore wind in Spain will mean more than 53 million hours of work and 5,000 direct jobs from 2027 to 2035.” Bermúdez de Castro called on partner industries: “Efforts need to be redoubled in terms of human capital. The most important investment that must be made is retaining talent and improving productivity.”
Gonzalo Onzain, Head of Corporate Development, Windar Renovables: “In recent years, at Windar we have multiplied both our workforce and our turnover by 9, undertaking investments of €60 million per year; this shows the enormous potential of the wind industry worldwide. That said, in relation to offshore wind, governments must pave the way for companies to launch investments. Of the 10–11 years it takes to deploy an offshore wind farm, the first 6 are linked to the administrative process. That must improve. We have to be firm in respecting the environment and other activities such as fishing, but we also need to be agile in the approval of projects. At the same time, we cannot prevent foreign companies from coming; we have to compete by growing and doing things very well, as is now happening with the jackets we are producing at the Navantia Fene facilities”.
For the first time this year, the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics also took part, one of the most relevant research institutions at European level.
Tobias Reidl, Researcher at the Fraunhofer Centre for Maritime Logistics and Services in Germany, explained that “there is great potential for generating hydrogen from offshore wind energy. For this purpose, an electrolysis process is set in motion, which can be carried out on land or directly on an offshore platform integrated into the offshore wind farm. It is a complex process, but Galicia could be ready to see this technology operating onshore by 2030, and offshore in the following years.”
As regards ports, representatives from the port authorities of Ferrol-San Cibrao, A Coruña, Avilés and Gijón came together as a demonstration of the strength of northern Spain’s infrastructure in the field of offshore wind.
Francisco Barea, President, Port Authority of Ferrol-San Cibrao: “Ferrol has always lived from shipbuilding and metalworking, and therefore has a highly developed and cutting-edge industrial fabric, a key asset for everything that is to come with offshore wind. In that context, the port has a key role, especially because of the excellent access at the outer port, since not all offshore wind components are manufactured in situ, but many are shipped from the port.”
Martín Fernández, President, Port Authority of A Coruña: “We have 22 meters of draft at the quay, but up to 36 meters in the inner area. We also have 250 hectares of sheltered water surface, which makes the storage process very convenient. It should be borne in mind that installation windows are limited, so having offshore wind structures already moored in the water greatly speeds up the process.” “We are very eager for offshore wind to happen here; ports are the piece that completes the infrastructure already existing along the Spanish northwest coast.”
Ramón Muñoz-Calero, Director, Port Authority of Avilés: “We have space in the area around the port to continue expanding and we have a high load-bearing capacity that is not so common in all ports. We are on a coastline that forms a strategic hub. To unlock its full potential, it is important to be able to add more personnel and more land in order to keep growing.”
Laureano Lourido, President, Port Authority of Gijón: “The rest of Europe does not have the capacity that the 4 ports represented here today at this conference have. Furthermore, with the rise of floating wind, our ports’ depths and access channels will increasingly play a fundamental role. We must remember that for every euro of cargo entering the port, €4.3 is generated. In addition, other industries grow around these jobs, paying taxes and contributing back to society.”
On innovation and trends in floating wind, two benchmark companies took the floor: Principle Power, which has wind farms installed all over the world, and Brezo Energy, which is directly involved in floating developments and prototypes at the Port of A Coruña.
Aaron Smith, Chief Commercial Officer, Principle Power: Floating wind is a new technology. We cannot expect the first projects to be competitive; they need public support and subsidies to provide an opportunity to learn and refine the technology. That is the only way, and that is how we have experienced it in the countries where it has been deployed. At the same time, we must be aware that most of the reluctance to invest comes from the fact that regulation is not clear, not because there are no solutions or ideas already available. In this respect, we should look at countries like China as an example of what happens when the government facilitates business deployment: they are installing 16 GW of offshore wind per year.”
Jaime Moreu, Director, Brezo Energy: “The cost problem in floating wind led us to work on a product that seeks industrialization from the outset. In 2015 we began with our Crown Buoy product, which promotes serial construction, reducing costs and times and therefore helping to strengthen local value. To ensure that our technology will be ready when the serial production stage arrives, we are already collaborating with the University of A Coruña, the Port of A Coruña and Navantia on pilot projects that allow us to test our solution in a real port environment.”
The closing session was led by Asime President Justo Sierra, who highlighted that “there are currently 3,000 people working directly in offshore wind in Galicia, with the potential to generate 5,000 new direct jobs over the next 10 years and have a driving effect on 200 companies. But to achieve this, in addition to exporting this technology worldwide, we must also deploy offshore wind farms in our waters, always in coexistence with the other activities in maritime space and through dialogue with traditional activities such as fishing, as is also contemplated in this new regulation and as is done through the Offshore Wind Observatory promoted by the Xunta de Galicia, of which Asime is an active member representing the business community.”
In this regard, GOE-Asime called for calm because “all the areas enabled in Spain by the administration through the POEM represent only 0.46% of the marine surface area, and probably not even half of that will be used, because not all areas are viable for investment. All projects submitted to public tenders for those areas will be thoroughly analyzed through environmental assessments; it is a very rigorous process with all the guarantees in place.”
As regards regulation, GOE-Asime conveyed to the government the need to give greater weight to the local component in the evaluation of future tenders put out to competition, in order to ensure a significant economic and social impact for Galicia, where local value-chain companies are available for the construction of those offshore wind farms in Galician waters.
María Jesús Lorenzana, Regional Minister of Economy and Industry: “Debate on offshore wind is essential, and public administrations must promote it through calm dialogue with the value chain, clusters, the maritime-fishing sector, knowledge centers and public administrations. That is what we have done in Galicia through the Offshore Wind Observatory, from which we have called on the government to make the weight of non-economic criteria in project evaluation more relevant than what is currently contemplated in the recently presented regulation. It would have been necessary for the autonomous communities to participate in the definition of the POEM and for the sectors involved to have been listened to more. It is essential that we deploy offshore wind in our region; we must advance in energy self-sufficiency, we must take advantage of the wind, business and logistical resources that Galicia has, and do so while generating value and a positive impact for Galicia.”
Pedro Blanco, Government Delegate in Galicia: “Europe is setting the course for decarbonization, with the goal of producing at least 40% of our energy from renewables by 2030. For this reason, we have approved an orderly regulatory framework that allows for the deployment of responsible offshore wind through dialogue among all stakeholders. We are working to make Galicia a pioneer, and we are going to do so through agreement and consensus, as we have always understood it. I want to send a message of reassurance in this respect: the government will only approve projects that guarantee respect for the environment and fishing. We have very demanding and robust regulations, which at the same time take into account all the advantages offshore wind offers in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, guaranteeing electricity supply and generating quality employment. We have local companies that are already leaders worldwide, with technology designed and manufactured in our country and a positive impact on the territory.”