I'm currently building a smelting and crafting setup on the ocean of Aquilo, and the wire buoys are frankly rather disappointing. It currently has stats appropriate for a 1x1 structure that can easily be weaseled in somewhere, but with its 2x2 footprint, it really fits nowhere and often doesn't even have the reach to connect to where you'd want to place the next buoy. Initially I tried using them and it only led to frustrations of lack of coverage and lack of wire reach, whereas the 1 tile of ice platform for a medium power pole never got in the way of the floating thermal heaters - the only downside to going that route.
I'd like to advocate for some considerable buffs, whether reducing its footprint to 1x1 or increasing its coverage and wire reach significantly, or doing both by introducing a second type of wire buoy.