Publication of the Final Reports for the project
2026-09-07 (IPMA)
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) published the final reports of the project PRR RP-C21-i07.01 – “Technical studies on offshore energy potential” at 31 August 2026 in the project’s website (https://owf.ipma.pt/).
This project focused on the geophysical, geotechnical and environmental characterisation of 2,000 km² encompassing the areas of Figueira da Foz, Leixões and Viana do Castelo, of the Offshore Renewable Energy Allocation Plan (PAER ) designated areas on the west coast of Portugal. With a funding of 42 million euros from the European Commission, this project was designed to support the target set for 2030 in the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC 2030) to achieve 2 GW of offshore wind capacity, out of the 9.4 GW envisaged in the PAER.
The project final reports, published in five volumes, provide an overview of the work carried out in these areas since January 2024. The study comprised an initial phase involving the establishment of technical terms of reference and desktop studies, including the compilation of available technical and scientific information on the areas to be investigated.
The preliminary oceanographic surveys carried out in 2024 by the IPMA and the Hydrographic Institute served as the basis for planning the geophysical and geotechnical comprehensive surveys, which enabled the creation of terrain models based on single and multichannel ultra-high-resolution reflection seismic data (15,773 km), magnetic surveys, side-scan sonar (2,047 km²) and multibeam bathymetry (2,341 km²), as well as surface sediment sampling (326), vibrocores (145) and cone penetration tests (46).
The environmental baseline study covered the water quality, ocean circulation, primary productivity and planktonic communities, nektonic habitats and communities, and fishing activities.
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