• GOE-Asime, Windar Renovables, Navantia and the Regional Government of Galicia today hosted the fifth edition of the Galician Offshore International Hub (GOinterHUB), the leading international conference on offshore wind energy in the Iberian Peninsula.
• More than 20 speakers from leading companies, institutions, international associations and investors discussed the global potential of offshore wind power and the current challenges to its development and roll-out.
• Five sponsors, ten special partners and 26 collaborating organisations have supported the organisation of this leading conference.

Once again, the 5th edition of the GOinterHUB international congress has brought together in Ferrol businessmen, technicians and representatives of organizations linked to offshore wind energy to highlight the logistical capabilities of the northwest and business cooperation.

The 5th GOinterHUB kicked off yesterday with the traditional visit to the Navantia-Fene shipyard facilities and a networking dinner at the Parador de Ferrol, followed today by an intensive congress featuring over 20 national and international speakers. The event focused on the current state of offshore wind energy in Galicia, Spain, and the world, and shed light on the developments needed to boost this booming international industry in Spain, where Galicia boasts enormous capabilities across the entire value chain.

Institutional opnening

At the opening, Rafael Outeiral, Vice President of Asime, one of the organizing entities, welcomed the more than 200 attendees present at the CIS in Ferrol and emphasized: “The future of a decarbonized Europe necessarily depends on promoting energies such as offshore wind. Specifically in Galicia, we have 1,200 direct jobs related to this sector, which reach 2,000 during peak production periods and generate another 5,000 indirect jobs. We could add another 5,000 by 2030 if we take advantage of the opportunities offered by our wind resources, our coastline, and our value chain, which can meet all the needs of the offshore wind industry, potentially becoming its greatest competitive advantage.”

Rocío Pazos Toba, Regional Director of Banco Santander, stated: “Galician industry is destined to lead the transition to sustainability. We will mobilize €120 billion by 2025 for the green transition and will be supporting the more than 6,200 Galician companies we work with.”

For their part, the mayors of the Fene-Ferrol axis highlighted the region’s industrial capabilities for promoting offshore wind energy. Juventino J. Trigo, Mayor of Fene, stated, “We have everything we need to rationally promote this industry, one that is linked to the local area and can generate significant wealth and employment in the regions where it is located.” Ángel Mato, Mayor of Ferrol, seconded this, saying, “We have one of the best business opportunities in Galicia. We want to develop a marine energy innovation center here, one that will drive new technologies, boost offshore wind, and generate more knowledge and wealth throughout the value chain.”

Living with fishing

This year’s event featured exceptional speakers, such as Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, Europe’s leading wind energy association, who emphasized that “the biggest challenge for offshore wind in all countries is the permitting process, which can take up to 8-9 years. These regulations need to be simplified.” Dickson also stressed the need to work closely with all sectors that share an interest in the marine environment: “It’s natural for the fishing industry to be concerned, but the truth is that the fishing industry benefits from offshore wind, as we see in the more than 26,000 offshore wind farms in Europe. They are offered compensation, protected fishing grounds, environments where the seabed remains undisturbed, and even the possibility of harvesting the 40 tons of shellfish generated at each offshore wind farm foundation; all of this combined with the investments attracted to coastal communities where the fishing industry thrives.”

Floating foundations and monopiles

Ignacio Gutiérrez Santalo, Head of Origination for Global Renewables Development at Iberdrola, offered the perspective of developers, who are urging regulatory change in maritime space to enable the commercial development of this industry within Spain. He also highlighted the opportunity presented by floating foundations, which allow for much better utilization of wind and marine resources while significantly reducing environmental and visual impact. “Our value chain in Spain is highly skilled,” he stated, “we simply need to reduce the cost of industrializing floating wind turbines through technology, mass production, and a regulatory framework that provides investment security.”

Antonio Sánchez, Business Development and Commercial Division of Navantia, and Nacho Rodríguez Alegre, Commercial Director of Windar Renovables, shared the perspectives of leading companies in Spain in the technical development of offshore projects. Navantia emphasized that “85% of the floating wind turbines in Europe have been built here, at our facilities. This is high-level work, as seen in Saint Brieuc (France) and the United Kingdom. These are transportable and scalable projects that demonstrate the enormous potential of our industry in other countries, thanks to our capabilities and know-how.” Windar, for its part, highlighted the potential of Windar and Navantia as the only companies that can offer a comprehensive portfolio of all types of foundations. In this regard, they placed particular emphasis on monopiles, a new product to be built at the Fene shipyard, which could generate up to €400 million between 2023 and 2025.

Manuel Fernández, Project Director BU-Iberia South Europe, Ocean Winds, highlighted the importance of offshore wind within the framework of the just transition we are currently facing: “Now that thermal power plants are closing, it is crucial to compensate by promoting other energy sources and industries such as offshore wind. This requires maritime space management, competitive bidding, and access to the transmission network.”

The role of SMEs, administrations and ports

Next, Greenalia, Nervion Naval Offshore (part of the Amper Group), Acebrón Group, and Ferri Systems discussed local business cooperation for the development of offshore wind farms in Galicia. They all emphasized the key role of SMEs, which form a fundamental link in the value chain. These small and medium-sized companies, beyond Navantia and Windar, are contributing components and manufacturing capabilities to offshore wind farms worldwide, bringing extensive know-how and highly qualified personnel.

Likewise, Javier Domínguez (Director of Industry and Energy of the Government Delegation in Galicia) and Paula Uría (General Director of Energy Planning of Natural Resources of the Xunta) highlighted the need for the organization of maritime space and the planning of electrical infrastructures, which is being promoted by the administrations in close dialogue with all marine activities.

The Ports of Ferrol and A Coruña explained the existing capacity in their infrastructures to facilitate the take-off of offshore wind power, with deep-water docks that allow wind turbines to be mounted on floats, and sheltered surfaces that facilitate the transit of large pieces from the shipyard to the semi-submersible vessels that take them to their destination.

Final conclusions

On the international front, Antonio López-Nicolás, from the European Commission, explained that Europe is firmly committed to the European Green Deal to decarbonize Europe and that offshore wind is a key element in achieving this.

Finally, Tomás Romagosa, Technical Director of the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE), closed the series of presentations with a vision for the immediate future of Spain, again emphasizing the need for regulation and the capacity of our industry.

At the closing ceremony, Justo Sierra wanted to summarize the key conclusions of the congress in 4 words: Capacity, Employment, Cooperation and Opportunity.

“We need to transform Spain, and Galicia in particular, into a leading European innovation hub, providing not only the development of offshore wind farms but also R&D solutions and exporting pioneering technology. The question isn’t whether we should implement offshore wind in Spain and Galicia, but where and how. Let’s remember that this sector alone mobilized an investment of €26 billion in Europe in 2020. Sierra concluded his remarks by encouraging continued efforts to establish a marine development plan as soon as possible, based on productive dialogue with all stakeholders, because the coexistence of offshore wind with other economic activities is viable and we must promote it as quickly as possible.”

Francisco Conde, Second Vice President of the Xunta de Galicia, closed the Congress by emphasizing, “We are at a strategic moment to invest in offshore wind energy. Galicia has the capacity in terms of electricity resources and value chain, so we can play a leading role in this industry. The €1.3 billion in contracts being developed here in Galicia by Iberdrola-Navantia-Windar clearly demonstrate this. Now it is important that the government makes the right decisions, taking into account the proposals we are presenting from the various autonomous communities. The development of offshore wind energy will only be possible in a climate of collaboration and understanding that provides certainty and confidence based on respect, balance, and compatibility of all activities, as well as environmental preservation, which we are trying to achieve through the Offshore Wind Energy Observatory promoted in Galicia by the Xunta.”