Pan di Zucchero, Piscinas dunes and turbines on the horizon: here is the impact of offshore wind in Sardinia
Two recent procedures for the request of authorization for wind farms off the west coast: in the images of the designers, the simulations of the enormous visibility of the turbines from the coast, from tens of kilometers away
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Pan di Zucchero and blades. Dunes of Piscinas and turbines. Two projects, two certainties: the offshore wind farms that could be built off the western coast of Sardinia are visible from dozens of kilometers away. International waters and the curvature of the Earth are not enough to hide them. And the companies that propose them say so. Better yet: the (strong) impact on the landscape is certified by the photosimulations filed as part of the procedures initiated to request authorizations on various fronts. Procedures that are still in full swing and are recording recent signs of activity.
The two projects
In recent days, the Cagliari Coast Guard published the notice of request for a maritime state concession filed by the company Wind Alfa Srl (based in San Severo, Foggia) for the installation of 63 15 MW wind turbines in front of Nebida: connection cables would start from the plant and reach Portoscuso. An application, the one filed by the Foggia company, which goes in parallel with the one forwarded to the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security in 2023 for the environmental impact assessment.
The other front is opened by Renewables Energies Ltd, based in London, which has presented to Mase a preliminary project for the construction of a gigantic offshore wind farm off the coast of Capo Pecora, Scivu and Piscinas. There will be 55 gigantic turbines, each with a power of 18 MW, for a total of 990 MW. Height? "Once installed", it is written in the documents, "they will have a height of no less than 320 meters above sea level".
Photo and denial
Both plans are represented in hundreds and hundreds of pages of documentation and studies. And there are also photos. Because those who propose offshore plants know it: one of the most delicate aspects is visibility from the shore. Especially in Sardinia, which can count on its landscapes and little else. Renewables Energies Ltd writes: «The graphic drawings show quite clearly that the wind farm being planned will be difficult to distinguish from the coast. In particular, considering the simulations that assume the presence of an observer on the beach (a few meters above sea level), it can be seen how at great distances a good part of the turbines are hidden by the curvature of the Earth». Then there are the photos. One, in particular, taken from the beach of Piscinas. Not from above a dune, but from the lowest part. Declared distance from the turbines: minimum 30 kilometers, maximum 47. And you can see them, indeed: just tighten the image and the white blades appear on the horizon, dozens of them. Where now there is nothing.
A similar situation if the point of view is even further north: the Tower of San Giovanni di Sinis, 42 kilometers away. At 30 meters high, the observer finds himself in front of the forest of blades. The submarine cable that will connect them to the ground will pass through an area completely forbidden to fishing by ministerial decree: it is a nursery for the reproduction of hake. This was reported by the Coast Guard, the only body that has so far filed observations (in this case non-binding).
And if in this case the images appear true but with a tendency to downplay the effects, the impact seems even higher if you look at the tables drawn up by the other company, Wind Alfa Srl. One of the points proposed to evaluate the visibility is Nebida, 31 kilometers from the plant. The blades are there, many and enormous. And equally enormously visible. «In the relative photosimulation, the wind farm appears visible, even if considerably far away», write the designers, «even in this case, the images were created taking into account the optical effect linked to the curvature
of the horizon, with the consequent reduction in the visibility of the towers, for the
lower part». There is an admission: «In this case, however, the effect will be less, since the observation point is higher than the others». Just look at the photos: Pan di Zucchero and shovels, precisely.
