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· The initiative consists of making a floating platform in the Mediterranean Sea that will serve as a laboratory both for energy activities in the marine area, with special attention to floating wind energy, and for the study of its interaction with the environment and also climate change in the Mediterranean Sea
· The project is channeled through the Energy Research Institute of Catalonia (IREC)
· The deadline is open for research, development and innovation institutions as well as companies interested in being users of the platform's capabilities to present their proposals
The Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda promotes the creation of the Marine Energy R+D+i Platform of Catalonia (PLEMCAT), a research infrastructure that will be located in the Bay of Roses (Alt Empordà) . PLEMCAT will be a floating test laboratory in the Mediterranean Sea that will be used to study the behavior of different components and technical systems for the advancement and validation of floating wind energy, other marine energies, for monitoring the marine ecosystem and for other environmental, climate or biodiversity studies. The project is channeled through the Catalan Energy Research Institute (IREC), which is receiving technical support from the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN).
The PLEMCAT platform will have different areas to carry out various types of activities, covering R+D+i activities from the laboratory to the market. A first area will be dedicated to the evaluation of materials, components and systems to analyze the behavior in real marine conditions, and will also allow other R+D+i activities to be carried out. A second area will be designed for testing prototypes of marine energy generation technologies. Finally, to promote industrial innovation, there will be a validation zone for pre-commercial technologies of wind generation or other marine energies.
With this equipment, it is intended to facilitate and promote research in all phases of the development of a floating marine wind energy system and other renewable energy technologies in the marine environment, and also the training of researchers and professionals linked to these areas. This includes both the development of advanced simulation models, advanced monitoring, control, operation and maintenance through remotely operated vehicles, and the design of new anchorage and float systems. At the same time, the platform will be able to carry out environmental studies linked to the interaction of this type of infrastructure with the marine environment and also to become an observatory of climate change and the evolution of biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea.
The proposal locates PLEMCAT in the Gulf of Roses, at a distance of between 16 and 24 kilometers from the coast, and that the activity begins before the end of 2025. The project will be developed in two phases. The first phase will be focused on all the activity linked to the testing of prototypes, components and other R&D+i actions, while in a second phase the area intended for pre-commercial systems will be enabled.
To give the project the start, IREC has opened the deadline for receiving expressions of interest in using the capacities and services of the Platform for R+D+I in Marine Energies of Catalonia (PLEMCAT). Institutions and companies interested in being users of the platform's capabilities can go to the specific web space enabled by IREC, where they will find all the information about the project and can send their proposals. In addition to having the impetus and support of the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, the project will opt for the RENMARINAS DEMOS call of the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (MITECO).
The Government is actively working to accelerate the implementation of renewable energies and, at the same time, so that this implementation is done in a balanced way in the territory, with maximum respect for biodiversity and with the maximum return for the environment where it is install An example of this commitment is the creation, last January, of a working group of the Climate Action Department and the Emporda municipalities involved in the Maritime Space Management Plan (POEM). The goal is for the energy transition to be fair, balanced and consensual with the territory.
More R+D+i in energy in Catalonia to contribute to the energy transition
Research, development and innovation are one of the priority lines of work for Catalonia's transition towards a cleaner, sustainable and democratic energy model. In fact, the Energy Outlook of Catalonia 2050 (PROENCAT 2050) identifies R+D+i as one of the strategic axes for the Catalan energy system to contribute to achieving the goal of climate neutrality in 2050.
Beyond PLEMCAT, the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda - through ICAEN - is also funding and supporting IREC in the development of the PRIMA Platform, a test and demonstration center in real environments of energy technologies and new solutions and products in the phase prior to their introduction to the market, and which is in the construction phase. Headquartered in Gurb (Osona), PRIMA will be a platform for the integration of renewable energy and storage made up of different pilot plants on an industrial scale, in which projects can be tested and validated in a shared way between different agents in the sector. The technological areas of the pilot plants will be hydrogen systems; electrification and flexibility; renewable energy and storage; thermal energy; energy efficiency; sustainable mobility, and bioenergy.