Arup gets job on Vientos Alisios offshore wind project in Colombia

Arup, a global consultancy firm that specialises in built environment, said that it has been selected to work on the feasibility study for the Vientos Alisios offshore wind project in Colombia.

The Vientos Alisios development comes from Spain-based BlueFloat Energy, and is known as being the first offshore wind project in Colombia to be granted the pre-feasibility status. The project was announced this spring a day after the Colombian government presented the definitive version of the national offshore wind road map, which sees the country as having potential for some 50 GW of wind farms off its coasts.

Vientos Alisios is the most advanced offshore wind project in Colombia, according to BlueFloat, and details about its shape and size are slowly starting to emerge.

Arup says the wind farm will be located some 20 miles (32.2 km) off the coast of Barranquilla, where 28 bottom-fixed turbines are set to be installed. The firm’s work there is getting support from international marine, offshore and engineering consultancy Global Maritime.

BlueFloat has already secured a 200-MW grid connection for Vientos Alisios, and plans to install 500 MW for this project, the company’s media representative told Renewables Now in May. According to those plans, construction could start in 2024/2025.

“We are excited to be supporting BlueFloat Energy to carry out the feasibility study for Vientos Alisios, which will help advance offshore wind not only in Colombia but also throughout Latin America,” said Mauricio Acevedo, Arup’s Colombia Energy Leader.

For Acevedo, “[t]here are still many hurdles to overcome, but Colombia is officially the next frontier for offshore wind”.

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