Gran Canaria has taken a stand and decided to raise its voice: the island believes it is ready for deploy offshore wind power ya And they see no reason to continue waiting for other regions of the country to resolve their own debates. The island institutions, along with businesses, unions, and the science and technology sector, have formed a united front to demand a clear timetable from the central government and a first power auction to begin in Gran Canaria's waters.
That move is not just a political statement of intent. The island puts forward prior planning, broad social consensus, and a industrial and port fabric who claims to be prepared to undertake the construction and maintenance of floating offshore wind farms. Meanwhile, various economic and energy analyses suggest that, in an isolated system like the Canary Islands, this technology could be competitive with fossil fuels and serve as a catalyst for genuine economic diversification.
A united front to demand offshore wind power now in Gran Canaria
The Gran Canaria Island Council has decided to go beyond speeches and has promoted a threatening letter addressed to the Minister for Ecological TransitionSara Aagesen, in which the urgent convening of the first offshore wind auction in Spain is demanded, with an initial focus on the island. The document, signed by some twenty entities, calls for a differentiated procedure that allows Gran Canaria to move forward without being tied to the pace of the rest of the Spanish coast. This request also aligns with the sectoral demand of an auction with an industrial and executable focus.
The signatories include The Canary Islands Confederation of Employers, the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce, and the UGT and CCOO trade unionsIn addition to the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster, representatives from the energy sector, port authorities, scientific organizations, and stakeholders in the fishing and maritime-port sectors were present. The message conveyed was that there is "total alignment" on the island between government bodies, businesses, and civil society regarding the opportunity presented by offshore wind energy, as demonstrated by the analyses on industrial opportunities in Spain.
The president of the Cabildo, Antonio Morales, has been particularly emphatic in stressing that Gran Canaria “cannot afford to be left behind” in the energy and industrial transformation which is already underway in Europe. In his view, the island has done its homework, actively participated in maritime spatial planning, and has well-prepared companies; therefore, he considers it unjustifiable to continue postponing state decisions. The European context and the continent's major projects reinforce this urgency. so as not to fall behind.
Morales and the island representatives insist that Offshore wind energy needs a timetable, legal certainty, and a concrete first auction.Without that step, they argue, everything else remains just planning documents that generate neither kilowatt-hours, nor employment, nor new economic activity in the region. The debate on legal security And the regulatory framework, they argue, is central to providing certainty.
In that context, the Island Council and the business community see the upcoming WindEurope international trade fair, with the expected presence of the President of the Government, as a key political opportunity for Madrid to announce tangible progress regarding the auction and design of that first commercial pilot project in Gran Canaria waters. Events and auction results in Europe are closely watched, such as the recent record auction in the United Kingdom.
Specific auction and pilot project: the island's bet
The proposal that Gran Canaria is launching to the State focuses on a specific auction for floating offshore wind power that takes into account the unique characteristics of the island's electrical system and the local production network. It's not just about allocating megawatts, they insist, but about properly designing the conditions so that Canarian companies can truly integrate into the value chain. This approach aligns with broader proposals on Challenges and opportunities in Spain.
Therefore, the island institutions argue that The first step will materialize in a commercial pilot project on the islandWith a demonstrative purpose and replicable across the rest of Spain, this project would act as a testbed to validate the technical, environmental, logistical, and regulatory aspects of floating offshore wind in an Atlantic environment, while simultaneously consolidating Gran Canaria as a leading logistics hub. Experience with pilot projects is key to validating operational and regulatory models.
The Minister for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Knowledge, Raúl García Brink, has stressed that The island has “ideal conditions” to lead the initial deploymentAdvanced energy planning, a port ecosystem with experience in naval and offshore repairs, consolidated logistics infrastructures and a scientific-technological environment capable of supporting innovation in this field.
Furthermore, the model advocated by the Cabildo and the sector seeks maximize local returnIt's not just about installing wind turbines at sea, but about generate own industrial capabilities in manufacturing, assembly, maintenance, engineering, logistics and associated services, so that companies based in the Canary Islands are not relegated to a secondary role.
To reinforce that vision, the institutions are asking the Ministry to The auction design incorporates differentiated treatment for the Canary Islands.with criteria that value local participation, the generation of skilled employment on the island and adaptation to an isolated electrical system in which security of supply and network stability have a greater weight than on the mainland.
Economic impact, employment and energy sovereignty
Economic arguments form a central part of the island's message. Germán Suárez, president of the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster, has put figures to the potential magnitude of this new sector: A benchmark deployment of around 500 megawatts of floating offshore wind power could generate billions of euros in the Canary Islands economy and create between 2.400 and 8.000 jobs, according to various estimates from the sector. Studies on the global and regional landscape underscore the sector's economic potential. in different scenarios.
Some calculations suggest a range that goes from impacts ranging from 4.700 billion to more than 12.000 billion or even 14.000 billion eurosThis is always contingent on robust participation of local companies in the supply chain. In terms of employment, the aim is to create thousands of equivalent jobs annually, with a strong emphasis on technical skills and maritime-port specialization.
But the stakes go beyond the numbers. In an island system heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, Offshore wind power is presented as a strategic tool for gaining energy sovereigntyBy combining this generation source with storage systems like the Salto de Chira hydroelectric complex, the Island Council believes it can lower electricity production costs and reduce vulnerability to international price crises. Integration with storage and battery solutions is a key element, as demonstrated by experiences incorporating battery systems into wind power. at the industrial level.
The more stable generation of floating offshore wind, compared to onshore wind or photovoltaic power, would allow to provide a more solid renewable base to the island's electricity mixThis greater predictability, combined with storage, would facilitate the integration of more renewables without compromising security of supply in an isolated system, where any imbalance has a direct impact.
Morales also focused on the geopolitical context, recalling that global instability and potential energy shocks The consequences of international conflicts pose an additional risk to territories dependent on fuel imports. From this perspective, accelerating the transition to a model with a greater reliance on domestic renewable energy sources is seen as a prudent economic and strategic decision.
Comparative advantage: costs in the Canary Islands versus the Peninsula
Alongside the political and business debate, various academic works have attempted to quantify the competitiveness of floating offshore wind in the Canary Islands. A recent study from the Pontifical University of Comillas It concludes that, despite the higher technological cost of this technology compared to other terrestrial renewables, its economic fit in the archipelago may be more favorable than in the peninsular system.
The report places the Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of floating offshore wind between 80 and 120 euros/MWhabove solar photovoltaic or onshore wind power on the Iberian Peninsula. However, the comparison changes radically when analyzing the Canary Islands: there, the usual generation costs with fuel oil or diesel range significantly higher, between 120 and 200 euros/MWh.
Based on this data, the document suggests that Floating offshore wind turbines could prove competitive in the Canary IslandsBy replacing more expensive and externally dependent power generation in an isolated system like an island, the projects could be economically viable in the short to medium term, even with a high initial investment. This means that the relative savings compared to fossil fuel power plants would allow the projects to be economically viable in the short to medium term.
This type of technical argument strengthens the position of those who claim a specific remuneration framework for island territoriesThis takes into account the specific nature of current costs and the added value of reducing fuel imports. From Gran Canaria, it is argued that adapted regulations could accelerate the development of offshore wind power, positioning the archipelago as a European leader in this technology.
In recent years, Spain has made progress in defining the general framework, with the approval of the Maritime Spatial Planning Plans (POEM), in which the island has actively participated. These plans have allowed for adjusting the areas suitable for offshore wind energy to the island's reality, including measures such as moving the installations about six kilometers from the coast to minimize the visual impact and on tourism.
Administrative delays, public consultation, and loss of investment
Although the basic regulatory framework has been taking shape, The island representatives believe that the pace of decisions has been insufficientThe Cabildo acknowledges progress such as the POEMs or the recent opening of a state public consultation, but stresses that these steps lose effectiveness if they do not translate into calls for auctions and concrete schedules.
Morales and his team attribute part of the slowdown to the strong social opposition that offshore wind power has generated in communities such as Catalonia and Galiciaespecially due to conflicts with the trawling fishing sector and debates about landscape impact. According to the island president, the situation in Gran Canaria is different: he maintains that there is broad consensus there and no comparable social opposition.
The Cabildo insists that “Gran Canaria cannot wait for other territories” who are still resolving their differences. In this context, opening a statewide public consultation is seen as a useful tool in some places, but considered unnecessary on the island, where they maintain that planning, dialogue, and prior studies have been years ahead of schedule.
The accumulated delay, they warn, is already having tangible consequences in terms of investment. Island officials indicate that international developers who were interested in setting up operations in Gran Canaria have been withdrawing. Given the lack of certainty, Councilor Raúl García Brink goes so far as to describe the current situation as "a wasteland" compared to the level of activity seen a year and a half ago.
From the perspective of institutions and the business sector, Time is not neutral in these types of processesThose who arrive late lose ground and industrial opportunities that are very difficult to recover later. Therefore, they warn that each year without auctions or firm decisions erodes the Canary Islands' capacity to attract projects and consolidate its position as a European hub for floating offshore wind.
Gran Canaria within a broader energy model
The push for offshore wind power is not conceived as an isolated initiative, but as a piece within a broader energy strategy for the islandThe Cabildo frames it within its Energy Transition Agenda, which proposes a diversified renewable mix combining onshore and offshore wind, photovoltaics, geothermal and green hydrogen, supported by storage systems such as reversible hydroelectric plants and batteries.
In this scenario, infrastructures such as Salto de Chira and the possible expansion associated with the Las Niñas dam The island council presents these elements as key to facilitating the widespread adoption of renewable energy in an isolated system. Their argument is that without sufficient storage capacity and intelligent demand management, integrating large volumes of variable generation becomes more difficult.
However, This approach has also generated intense debate on the islandCitizen groups and critical voices, such as the Save Arguineguín-SOS Gran Canaria movement, question the transition model defended by Antonio Morales, whom they accuse of consolidating a centralized scheme that reinforces the role of the traditional electricity oligopoly and of underestimating the territorial and environmental impacts of large infrastructures.
These platforms warn of the landscape, hydrological and ecological effects associated with projects such as Chira-SoriaThey also criticize the decades-long transfer of strategic resources—such as stored rainwater—to large operators. They call for a deeper public debate on the distribution of costs and benefits, and denounce the “eco-island” rhetoric as potentially masking a continuation of the power dynamics within the energy system.
In response to that criticism, proponents of the current plan argue that the climate emergency and the vulnerability of the Canary Islands' electricity system They demand infrastructure capable of providing stability and flexibility on a large scale. The tension between these visions permeates the debate on offshore wind: while some see it as an industrial opportunity and a tool for energy sovereignty, others fear that it will reproduce a model of large projects with little real citizen participation.
Maritime planning, tourism and economic activities
One of the issues that has been given the most attention in the planning of Gran Canaria is the compatibility between offshore wind and other economic activitiesTourism and fishing, in particular, are affected. The proposals that have been developed place the floating wind farms more than six kilometers from the coast to reduce their visibility from land and minimize their impact on the coastal landscape.
The island authorities emphasize that, with this design, The aim is to avoid significant interference with the island's main economic engine, tourism.Especially in southern Gran Canaria, efforts are underway to regulate maritime space to reduce conflicts with artisanal fishing and other activities at sea. The island's participation in the development of the POEMs has been largely aimed at ensuring this integration.
Meanwhile, critics insist that It is necessary to delve deeper into the impact assessment on marine biodiversity, the ocean floor, and associated ecosystemsThey point out that the implementation of large floating parks, their anchorages, cables, and electrical evacuation corridors can generate cumulative effects that should be studied in detail before taking a massive leap.
The institutions, for their part, reply that The initial model for Gran Canaria is conceived precisely as a pilot project.This would allow for real-time monitoring of the effects and adjustments to regulations and subsequent deployment. Even so, the discussion about the appropriate level of precaution and the balance between speed and environmental safeguards remains open in the island's public debate.
In terms of land-use planning, the Cabildo has also put on the table the need for a new competitive bidding process that incorporates system flexibility and storage criteria, as well as a specific remuneration framework for archipelagos, so that the expansion of offshore wind power is coordinated with the evolution of the rest of the electricity grid and backup capacities.
The Greenalia case: lessons from a legal conflict
While Gran Canaria demands an orderly auction and a clear framework, Greenalia's attempt to become a pioneer of offshore wind power on the island It has ended up becoming a legal and regulatory labyrinth that many interpret as a warning of what happens when there is no well-defined procedure.
The Galician company proposed five offshore wind farms in the southeast of Gran Canariain waters near San Bartolomé de Tirajana, which together had a capacity of 250 MW. The projects—named Gofio, Guanche, Cardón, Mojo and Dunas—were presented as independent 50 MW installations each, which aroused suspicion in the central government.
The Directorate General for Energy Policy and Mines and subsequently the High Court of Justice of Galicia considered that it was an artificial fragmentation of a single large-scale projectThis was intended to circumvent the stricter regulations applicable to parks larger than 50 MW and to avoid competitive bidding procedures. The judges emphasized that, by locating several adjacent parks in the same maritime area, the resulting environmental and technical impact would be equal to or greater than that of a single, larger complex.
As a consequence of this interpretation, Only Gofio Park managed to advance in the process to obtain prior authorizationWhile the other four were sidelined. Simultaneously, a conflict arose with the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) over access to the grid through the Barranco de Tirajana III substation, a matter that ended up in the National Court.
Greenalia accused the regulator of relying on false data and overstepping its bounds in assessing the alleged fragmentation and the adequacy of the guarantees. However, the National Court upheld the CNMC's position, confirming that the inadequacy of the access procedure used and the lack of validation of guarantees These were sufficient grounds to deny the connection request as presented. In practice, this has effectively put an end to the administrative obstacles to the company's plans in the area.
The result is that The large 250 MW project has been reduced in the company's portfolio to a single park in prospect.Meanwhile, Greenalia is shifting its investment focus towards large-scale photovoltaic installations in the United States. For many stakeholders in Gran Canaria, this outcome illustrates the importance of having a specific regulatory framework for offshore wind energy, based on transparent auctions and clear rules, that avoids procedural shortcuts and subsequent conflicts.
All of this context has reinforced, both among institutions and in part of the private sector, the idea that The right way to deploy offshore wind power on the island involves a well-designed competitive bidding process from the outset.Only in this way, they point out, will it be possible to reconcile attracting investment, protecting the maritime space, and guaranteeing free competition among developers.
The position that has been consolidating in Gran Canaria stems from a shared observation: The island has made progress in planning, forged internal alliances, and prepared to be at the forefront of floating offshore wind energy.But its ability to take the final leap now depends on decisions that only the State can make. Meanwhile, delays are piling up, investment opportunities are slipping away, and a social debate is intensifying that no longer revolves around whether or not there will be an energy transition, but rather around what transition model will be implemented and who will control and reap its benefits.
