Interconnect Malta said Friday it has initiated a geographical survey of specific areas within Malta's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Fugro Italia Spa is carrying out the survey, which aims to map the bathymetry, locate and identify seabed and man-made features, and gather high-quality sub-bottom seismic data. This survey is part of the ongoing process undertaken by the Maltese Government to encourage the generation of electricity from renewable sources.
Following consultations with international experts, strategic environmental evaluations, and detailed desktop studies, two sites have been identified for the potential development of offshore floating wind farms, beyond the 12 nautical miles off the coast of Malta.
"The Maltese Government is committed to pursuing offshore renewable energy opportunities. In 2022, the Government issued a Preliminary Market Consultation for economic activities in Malta's EEZ. In 2023, we then launched the 'National Policy for the Deployment of Offshore Renewable Energy' for public consultation. This survey signifies another important step in preparing the island's attractiveness to potential investors for developing offshore floating wind systems," Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said.
The 2022 PMC invited companies to propose economic activities that can be carried out in an EEZ area beyond the territorial waters of Malta. The outcome of this consultation and the submission of interested economic operators has enabled the Government to gauge the interest of potential investors to undertake activities and projects in the proposed EEZ area in line with the rights provided under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Malta EEZ Act. Fifteen of the proposals submitted from the private sector targeted the development of offshore wind farms within Malta's continental shelf.
On its part, the Offshore Renewable Energy Policy seeks to enable the offshore potential of the Mediterranean. The policy supports the implementation of offshore renewable projects in areas lying beyond the territorial waters and within Malta's potential EEZ by providing a comprehensive framework to promote investment in renewable energy. The policy identified six potential areas for the deployment of floating renewable energy. Following this, a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) narrowed the areas to two, namely, Area 3 and Area 4 depicted below.
The bathymetric characteristics of Malta's territorial waters, and those beyond, highly restrict areas suitable for offshore bottom-fixed wind turbines, due to the relative shallower water depth requirements of such technology. However, floating offshore wind technology presents a potential solution for harnessing wind energy in this context. These floating projects offer several advantages, including reduced visual impact and minimized interference with various economic activities that rely on the same areas.
Following a deeper analysis of the areas, including distance from the onshore grid connection points, environmental constraints, sea traffic, water depths, bathymetry, seabed slopes, and preliminary comparative cost estimates, Interconnect Malta narrowed down two areas of approximately 190km2 and 140km2 inside Area 3 as the best-suited areas for deployment of RES. Both areas represent more than the area required by a first project, estimated to be around 100 km2.