Port accessThe Port Authority of Bilbao will sign the “Manifesto for the development of offshore wind”, promoted by the Spanish Wind Energy Association
From 5 to 7 April, and under the slogan ‘Bilbao Port, your wind industry hub’, the Port Authority of Bilbao and UniportBilbao – the cluster of the Port of Bilbao – will be participating with a joint stand at WindEurope 2022, the event that brings together companies and professionals from the European and world wind energy sector at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC). The exhibition space, designed to bring together professionals from the sector, will be located in Hall 1, Stand B21, and will showcase the factors that make the port of Bilbao a wind power hub.
The Basque Country has a strong industrial fabric focused on the development of this technology, with a marked export profile. At the same time, the port of Bilbao has land for facilities of this type (manufacturing and/or assembly/storage), a port community with extensive experience in its transport, loading/unloading, securing and related consultancy services. The port also provides maritime services that connect it to 900 ports around the world.
In the course of 2021, 150,000 tonnes of wind power components were handled in the port, including engines, generators and wind turbine towers.
The Port facilities are currently home to two companies dedicated exclusively to this type of traffic: Haizea Wind, a manufacturer of wind power components, and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Eólica, which has its export hub in Bilbao. Both are located in the Port expansion area. In addition, there are plans for Haizea Wind to expand its premises, with surface areas and deadlines still to be determined, to cater for the increase in its workload. Navacel also has plant facilities in the Bilbao Estuary which enable it to manufacture these components and subsequently export them.
At the same time, the port has other operators, such as stevedoring companies, which dedicate specific space to this type of traffic.
Manifesto for the development of offshore wind
As part of the events scheduled during the WindEurope Annual Event 2022, the President of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Ricardo Barkala, will sign the “Manifesto for the development of offshore wind energy” on Wednesday, 6 April, in the presence of the CEO of the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE), Juan Virgilio Márquez.
The aim of the manifesto is to promote the development of offshore wind energy in Spain and to convey the need to streamline the applicable regulatory framework to ensure the floating offshore wind energy industry in Spain maintains its position as a world leader. The manifesto has been signed by 230 organisations, representing the main players in the development of offshore wind: manufacturers, developers, companies in the value chain, trade unions, shipyards, ports and the naval sector, professional associations, universities, technology and R&D&I centres, associations, clusters and professionals.
The manifesto, available for consultation at www.foroeolicomarino.org, calls for the establishment of a clear, predictable, stable and transparent framework, with a multi-year calendar of competitive bidding processes, including the holding of a first offshore wind auction in 2022. Investors, industry and, in general, the entire value chain need greater visibility on the offshore areas subject to competition, the volumes of wind power to be developed and their estimated dates, as an offshore wind farm has an estimated installation period of six years.
The ‘Manifesto for the development of offshore wind in Spain’
The Spanish Wind Energy Association, the driving force behind the manifesto, is the voice of the wind energy sector in Spain and defends its interests. With more than 260 member companies, it represents more than 90% of the sector in the country, including developers, manufacturers of wind turbines and components, national and regional associations, organisations linked to the sector, consultants, lawyers, financial institutions and insurers, amongst others.
