Green light to the Generalitat's project to put windmills in the sea in Empordà
The ministry's environmental authorization unblocks the Plemcat, which will serve as a testbed for the future offshore wind farm in the Bay of Roses
GironaThe Ministry for Ecological Transition has issued a favorable environmental impact statement for the floating offshore wind test platform that the Generalitat is promoting in the Gulf of Roses, named Plemcat. The resolution, which will be published in the BOE in the coming hours, represents the main administrative step pending for the initiative to continue its processing and move towards the tendering phase.
The project, driven by the Catalan government through the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), is conceived as an experimental infrastructure intended to evaluate the operation of floating offshore wind and its effects on the marine environment. It aims to be the preparatory step to justify and define the conditions of the future commercial park planned in the Bay of Roses, between the Medes Islands and Cape Creus. The State has not yet put it out for public auction, but for now there are already at least eight interested companies.
The environmental processing of Plemcat had been delayed for months, as the ministry requested additional information related to the potential impact on different species and ecosystems, such as the movements of shearwaters, protected marine birds, and the possible effects on hake breeding grounds. "We will thoroughly analyze this positive environmental impact assessment and if there is any issue we need to consider, but we can already start the tendering and purchase of materials for this platform," said the Government spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, at a press conference this Tuesday. The Generalitat is working with a schedule that places the Plemcat's entry into operation at the end of 2027 or the beginning of 2028, which will involve an investment of 80 million euros, 30 of which will come from the State. Paneque also announced that the Generalitat has acquired a 7.6% stake in the innovative floating wind company X1 Wind, which will be linked to the project.
Three 250-meter turbines 25 km offshore
The Generalitat's offshore wind farm will occupy an area of 7.4 square kilometers and plans to install three floating wind prototypes of three different technologies, each 15 MW and over 250 meters high, between the coast of l'Escala and l'Estartit. It will also include a 66 kV electric evacuation line, with 25.8 kilometers under the sea and a 16.2 kilometer terrestrial section, as well as a substation planned in the municipality of Vilaür.
In addition to Vilaür and l'Escala, the project affects the municipalities of Sant Pere Pescador, l'Armentera, Ventalló, and Sant Mori. However, most town councils have shown opposition to the project due to the impact of the evacuation lines on agricultural fields and the landscape of the Empordà plain. Environmental organizations and representatives from the social and business sector, grouped under Stop Macro Parc Eòlic Marí, have long been strongly expressing their unease against all offshore wind projects in Empordà and maintain a contentious administrative appeal against the State.
