The Italian company Plenitude, part of the Eni Group, has announced the acquisition of a 25% stake in EnerOcean, the Spanish company that has developed the W2Power technology for floating wind energy. The agreement has been established as a long-term partnership between the two companies to present this technology in the market and make it one of the main competitors in the development of floating wind energy worldwide.

Founded in 2007, EnerOcean has engineering teams at its sites in Málaga and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and has already announced its first wind farms in the Canary Islands through its subsidiary Canarrays. Plenitude will contribute capital and expertise to its development programme, although the Spanish company will continue to operate independently.

Open sea testing
EnerOcean's patented technology consists of two wind turbines mounted on the frame of the same floating structure, designed to take constant advantage of the prevailing wind. The power-to-weight ratio is among the highest of all wind technologies, while the cost is among the lowest. The prototype has successfully passed offshore testing, making it the world's first multi-turbine solution to reach this level of maturity.

Floating structures have become a promising solution for developing offshore wind energy, especially in areas where coastlines are characterised by deep water, as is the case in much of southern Europe.

Unlocking the potential of floating wind power
Plenitude CEO Stefano Goberti explained, "This agreement demonstrates Plenitude's willingness to bring their skills in offshore engineering resources to unlock the potential of floating wind power around the world, which is key to facilitating the massive build-out of offshore wind power, so necessary for decarbonisation, security of supply and sustainability."

For his part, EnerOcean CEO Pedro Mayorga commented, "We were impressed by the excellence of the Plenitude experts who carried out the in-depth technology validation of W2Power over several months. Plenitude and its affiliates demonstrated a deep understanding of all the core aspects of the technology, and their scrutiny of our work over more than ten years was meticulous but fair."

^{Photo: Plenitude}