Massive offshore wind farm for Costa del Sol likely to go ahead

Offshore wind farms in the Costa del Sol area are back on the table almost one and a half years after the project was first put forward to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. 

After much debate and study, it now seems the project to build some 67 wind turbines on the horizon is going forward after the proposal was passed around multiple governmental departments, ministries, and environmental agencies.

This is not the first time the proposal has been put forward for the Spanish Mediterranean, but it is the only one that proposes the coast of the Malaga region, and it is the biggest of all blueprints suggested so far and the one capable of producing the most power. Since the project idea was first submitted, 47 organisations and administrations have been consulted.

Costa del Sol wind farm project 20 kilometres out to sea

The wind farm is designed to be in an area of sea about 290 square kilometres, and more than 20 kilometres from the coast to minimise the visual impact. According to the technicians, there is a space necessary to place the wind turbines on their corresponding floating platforms, respecting a minimum separation of 2,400 metres between rows and 1,200 metres between wind turbines in the same row.

It seems that the actual construction presents some serious risks to the safety of personnel and may well affect fishing activity in the area. However it is promoted as an environmentally friendly project in that marine life tends to thrive on these structures, creating a kind of reef effect and increasing the abundance of species.

The reason the project has opted for the floating windmill style is due to the depths (between 400 and 1,000 metres) coupled with a soft and muddy seabed.