"After four years of successful operation, the WindFloat Atlantic project has not only exceeded the expected numbers, but has also fostered a strong alliance in the region", said in a statement Ocean Winds (OW), an international company dedicated to offshore wind energy created in 2020 as a 50-50 joint venture by EDP Renováveis ​​and the French company Engie.

According to the report, since July 2020, the project's three turbines have been supplying energy to the Portuguese national electricity grid, "demonstrating the potential of floating wind technology", with the project's electricity production steadily increasing, reaching 78 GWh in 2022 and 80 GWh in 2023.

"In July 2024, it recorded a total accumulated production of 320 GWh, supplying energy every year to more than 25,000 homes in Viana do Castelo while avoiding more than 33,000 tons of CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions and fostering 1,500 direct and indirect jobs between the development, construction and operation phases", details OW.

In an assessment of the project's four years of operation, the promoters recall the "unprecedented challenges" faced, including Storm Ciarán in 2023, during which "the system withstood waves reaching 20 meters in height and wind gusts of up to 139 kilometers per hour, demonstrating its resilience and robustness".

Claiming to be "deeply committed to monitoring and improving the environmental performance of the WindFloat Atlantic wind farm throughout its life cycle", Ocean Winds states that, so far, it "has demonstrated minimal impact on the seabed and biodiversity", with "more than 270 species successfully coexisting with the project, with no significant adverse effects on marine mammals or endangered bird species".

Quoted in the press release, OW’s Southern Europe manager and WindFloat Atlantic project director, José Pinheiro, stated the company’s commitment to ensuring that the project “benefits not only the environment but also the community”, in particular through the development of educational programmes, coordination of visits and engagement with the local community in Viana do Castelo.

When EDPR and Engie combined their offshore wind assets and pipeline projects to create OW in 2019, the company had a total of 1.5 GW under construction and 4.0 GW under development.

Since then, OW has been strengthening this portfolio, with the goal of reaching five to seven GW of projects in operation or construction and five to 10 GW in "advanced development" by 2025.

Currently, OW's gross offshore wind capacity already in operation, under construction or with advanced development rights granted exceeds 18 GW.