Offshore plants
Bi Energia Ltda
The first offshore wind project is under development.
The specific purpose company that owns the project is BI ENERGIA Ltda.
BI ENERGIA Ltda is a company controlled at 100% by BI Holding Partecipação e Investimentos Ltda.
BI ENERGIA Ltda is the company that are developing the off shore project in Caucaia – CE.
In the 2019 the off shore project activities are focalized on the evironmental impact assessment, that is performing by the engineering company TEN PROJECT Srl (Gruppo IMPRESE E SVILUPPO), with its registered office in San Giorgio del Sannio (BN) Via Alcide De Gasperi, 60 – Italy (https://www.tenproject.it).
In 2016 a preliminary project of the offshore wind plant is drawn up, which is presented to IBAMA (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente).
In 2017 the authorization has been obtained for the submission of the environmental impact assessment and from July the first results of the environmental impact assessment have been presented.
The project is made up of a total number of 59 wind turbines:
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N.48 wind turbines, built in the open sea, with a power from 6 MW and up to 12 MW, for a total power between 288 and 576 MW. The model of turbine to be used for the proposed plant shall be between the following range of power and size:
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Rotor Diameter: between 160m and 220 m;
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Hub Height: between 100m and 150 m;
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Single Wind Turbines Power: between 6MW and 12 MW;
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N.11 wind turbines built on breakwater piers, near the coast, with a rated power between 2MW and 3MW, for a total power between 22 and 33 MW. The model of turbine to be used for the proposed plant shall be between the following range of power and size:
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Rotor Diameter: between 90m and 110m;
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Hub Height: between 95m and 105 m;
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Single Wind Turbine Power: between 2MW and 3MW.
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Caucaia design drawings
Clearing work
The start of the offshore project was preceded by the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the prefecture of Caucaia and the INPH (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Hidroviárias), who were discussing how to cope with the problem of coastal erosion north of river Ceara. A preliminary study on a breakwater system was carried out by the INPH.
The memorandum of understanding was signed with the objectives: (a) to verify the effectiveness of the breakwater system, (b) to evaluate the possibility of creating the breakwater system as an environmental / economic compensation / valorisation system.
The study to verify the effectiveness of the designed breakwater system was entrusted to the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Naples Parthenope and was carried out by professors Giovanni Sgubin and Stefano Pierini, coordinated by professor Mario Vultaggio.
The results showed that the introduction of 11 breakwaters could influence the general circulation near the shore.
In particular, it was highlighted how the "S" configuration is potentially able to generate a (weak) recirculation cell between two adjacent breakwaters, which hypothetically should prevent a loss of sediment from the shore
A preliminary draft on the influence of the breakwaters on the propagation of longwaves was also made, however, this section could be improved by adopting more sophisticated methods in the implementation of the wave generator and increasing the temporal resolution of the model.
Scheme Piers/Breakwater
Local development opportunities
The realization of the breakwaters and the offshore wind farm will bring out many opportunities for self-sustainable local development, capable of enhancing natural, human and financial resources already existing in the territory.
The company that will carry out the breakwaters can request, directly or indirectly through a subsidiary company, the multi-year concession also of the marine areas inside the breakwaters themselves (calm areas). This will allow to realize a series of other works (swimming pools, restaurants, fishing tourism, etc) for the economic exploitation of the sea areas "protected" by the breakwaters.
The off shore wind park becomes an area of repopulation of fish and crustaceans, with significant positive returns for fishing in the surrounding areas and with the possibility of starting fishing-tourism activities.
In fact, as in the areas of integrated protection of marine areas, the area affected by the park can be an area in which the species can feed and reproduce. Due to the possibility of an increase in population at a threshold level (spill-over effect), many species will be forced to migrate to new regions, thus activating a beneficial effect in providing and distributing new individuals in the surrounding areas.
