THE DENTICE PROJECT SUBMITS ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

The Sicily South offshore wind project, called Dentice, off the southern coast of Sicily, is taking a decisive step forward in its authorization process. The consortium formed by Oxan Energy, Ingka Investments and Avapa Energy  has submitted the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) request to the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, officially opening the phase of public consultation and dialogue with local stakeholders.

The filing of the EIA, submitted in May 2026, comes after more than two years of technical and environmental studies, launched in February 2024.

The activities included seasonal analyses of the marine environment, monitoring of marine and bird fauna, geophysical surveys and archaeological assessments, with the aim of gathering a comprehensive body of knowledge to support the project’s development.

With the launch of the environmental assessment procedure, the project is now entering a new phase focused on transparency, dialogue and engagement with institutional and local stakeholders.

At the same time, the project is taking on a new identity under the name “Dentice,” referring to a symbolic Mediterranean marine species, thereby highlighting the deep connection between the Sicily Channel and the community that lives and works at sea. A symbol of the project’s long-term presence, designed to integrate with local maritime activities, “Dentice” reflects the consortium’s ambition to collaborate with stakeholders and generate value beyond energy production.

The Sicily South – Dentice Offshore Wind Project is located between 22 and 40 kilometers off the coast, in the heart of the Strait of Sicily, in waters ranging from 280 to 650 meters deep. With a planned installed capacity of 1.14 GW, the project will be able to generate enough renewable energy to supply up to 1.5 million households, representing one of the most significant floating offshore wind developments in the Mediterranean. Dentice will contribute significantly to Italy’s energy independence and decarbonization objectives, in line with the PNIEC 2030–2050 targets, which foresee 40% renewable energy production, a 66% reduction in CO₂ emissions in non-ETS sectors, and the achievement of carbon neutrality by 2050.

At the core of the project is an international partnership combining industrial expertise, technical experience and financial strength.

• Oxan Energy brings to the consortium more than fifteen years of experience in global floating offshore wind development;

• Ingka Investments, the investment division of the INGKA group, owner of IKEA, is one of the world’s leading investors in renewable energy, with a portfolio exceeding 10 GW;

• Avapa Energy contributes deep knowledge of the Italian regulatory and territorial context, along with extensive experience in managing authorization procedures and developing renewable energy projects in Italy and abroad.

The consortium is committed to an approach based on local integration, collaboration with institutions, academia and local communities, and the promotion of national industrial supply chains. In the coming months, dialogue with local stakeholders will continue alongside the permitting process, further technical and scientific studies, and discussions around the national regulatory framework, particularly regarding the FER II auctions, considered a key milestone for the development of offshore wind in Italy.