After five years, Spain adopted the first Maritime Space Management Plans (POEM). They regulate marine use and reserve roughly 5,000 square km for floating wind turbines.
This movement aspires to accomplish the PNIEC’s goal of 1–3 GW by the end of the decade with this technology, which could help green hydrogen projects.
Despite the country’s favorable geography, naval industry, maritime-port sector, and technological capabilities, offshore wind power (promising for green hydrogen generation projects) has made little progress.
The POEM’s 4,948 km of offshore wind power potential in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Strait and Alboran, Levantine-Balearic demarcations, and canary constitute 0.46 % of Spain’s ordered waters.
This will unlock projects awaiting clearance until December 31, 2027. Mar de Canarias, Proyecto Elisa, and Park Eólico Gofio are in the Canaries. BIMEP, Basque Country.
The National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan requires the government to create 1–3 GW by the end of the decade. Lay the groundwork for 40–60 Megawatts by 2030.
Reaching 3 GW would require 200 offshore wind turbines (14–16 MW) in those 5,000 square km.
The considerable depth of territorial waters makes fixed foundation projects impractical from 50 meters deep, which is the most reliable approach for installing these platforms.
Although pricey, floating wind platforms are the main option. Most of the country’s current projects involve prototypes that must be orderedly deployed in territorial waters, compatible with other uses and activities, and used to improve marine environment knowledge.
Spain has seven floating solutions for offshore wind farms, according to IDAE data.
In 2022, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition received 45 offshore wind projects for the five locations that enable offshore wind farms, with all but one applying to be erected in four: the Canary Islands (25), Galicia (9), Catalonia (6), and Andalusia (6). (4). After implementing POEMs, decide which ones are approved.
