The Basque Country leads innovation in sustainable protection for offshore infrastructure
Iberdrola Renovables Energía, GALEA and MENDIETA, together with the TECNALIA research and technological development centre, have developed a project to solve the problem of corrosion in offshore wind energy infrastructure using sustainable materials.
Corrosion is one of the main challenges facing offshore wind energy infrastructure, as constant exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as salt water, high humidity and strong winds, causes significant wear and tear on the metal components of these facilities.
Iberdrola Renovables Energía, the company GALEA and Recubrimientos Anticorrosivos MENDIETA, together with the TECNALIA research and technological development centre, have launched a project that aims to develop new sustainable anti-corrosion protection systems for metal structures in offshore environments. This corrosion affects turbines, towers and bases, drastically reducing their useful life and increasing the need for frequent repairs and replacements, significantly raising maintenance costs and affecting turbine efficiency, thereby reducing energy generation and project profitability. Furthermore, it compromises the structural integrity of the infrastructure, putting the marine environment at risk.
Cork as a sustainable material
Cork, a natural and highly versatile material, plays a key role in this project. Thanks to its unique structure, it is lightweight, elastic, waterproof and has excellent thermal, acoustic and vibrational insulation properties. These characteristics make it an ideal material for coatings, as it helps to reduce thermal expansion, absorb vibrations and prolong the service life of metal structures. Furthermore, as it is biodegradable, recyclable and has a low environmental impact, cork brings sustainability to the paint system, offering an ecological alternative to traditional synthetic coatings.
This project will help minimise corrosion in marine environments through a duplex protection system that combines zinc coatings and sustainable organic finishes, such as cork, and 0% VOC (volatile organic compound) coatings to increase the service life of metal structures in offshore environments. In addition, European regulations promote the development of low- or zero-emission coatings.
Greater safety and durability
The Basque Country offers an ideal environment for the development of this project, called INNOTEC, thanks to its well-established maritime and energy industry, its experience in applied research and its highly specialised technological fabric. Furthermore, its proximity to port infrastructure and marine testing areas allows it to carry out tests and validations in real offshore environments, ensuring the viability of new sustainable systems. The Basque Country is thus positioning itself as an international benchmark in advanced protection solutions for offshore infrastructure.
All this positions it as an international benchmark in advanced protection solutions for offshore infrastructure through this revolutionary duplex system that combines metallic zinc and sustainable organic finishes. This solution could reduce maintenance work by up to 50%, increase the safety and durability of offshore infrastructure, improve the profitability of offshore wind farms and reduce the environmental impact of traditional sacrificial anodes – devices used to protect metal structures from corrosion, sacrificing themselves in the process – and traditional coatings.
The next milestones in this project are based on three areas: developing this sustainable coating system for initial application on metal structures; creating a second system adapted to field repair operations, suitable for interventions in offshore environments; and thirdly, validating both solutions using a prototype exposed to a real marine environment, which will allow their performance and durability to be assessed under operating conditions.
