Spain's first offshore wind farm to be built off Gran Canaria — and the Canary Islands fight for special conditions

From 21 to 23 April 2026 the WindEurope Annual Event took place in Madrid — the leading European wind sector trade fair. The Canaries were present with over 40 companies and an 80-square-metre stand, as the only Spanish autonomous community with its own space. A strategy with a clear message: the archipelago wants to be Spain's first location for a commercial offshore wind farm.

The Canarian government's plan is concrete. In the V Mesa de la Eólica Marina in February 2026, the Department for Ecological Transition under Mariano Hernández Zapata formulated a representation to the Ministry for Ecological Transition: a separate competitive procedure for the Canaries, a single park, a tender area off the coast of Gran Canaria with 220 to 250 megawatts of installed capacity. Three concrete project proposals are already competing for the licence — and the industry estimates the first commissioning not before 2032.

Why are the Canary Islands positioning themselves as offshore pioneer?

Three structural factors make the archipelago the appropriate pilot site. First the wind potential: constant trade winds, deep-sea zones suited to floating foundations, distance from the coast reducing visual impact. The southeast coast of Gran Canaria between Pozo Izquierdo and Arinaga delivers the equivalent of 6,000 full load hours per year — twice that of many mainland sites. Second the lack of land surface: the islands are too small for large-scale terrestrial renewables. Third the isolated electricity system: the Canaries currently import almost all fuel for their power stations. Each renewable megawatt directly reduces the „extracoste" — the surcharge that the Spanish electricity tariff bears to subsidise Canary supply.

The islands also have, with the Salto de Chira pumped-storage hydroelectric plant on Gran Canaria, a key storage component. The facility will be able to balance the fluctuations of intermittent wind energy. Without such a storage backbone, an offshore park in an isolated island system would be technically risky.

The Canarian government therefore argues the archipelago should not run in the same auction procedure as the Spanish mainland. „Existe un ecosistema preparado, con empresas que han ganado capacidad, experiencia y autonomía", says Elba Bueno, manager of the Canary Maritime Cluster. The demand: a special procedure that recognises the island reality and avoids unnecessary delays.

Which projects compete for the licence?

Three proposals are currently on the market — with different scales and consortia.

FOWCA — Floating Offshore Wind Canarias: Joint venture between Naturgy and Equinor, signed in 2022 in Bilbao at WindEurope. Planned: 216 MW off the southeast coast of Gran Canaria, 12 floating wind turbines, distance from coast 8 to 16 kilometres, semi-submersible platform technology, connection via the Barranco de Tirajana III substation of Red Eléctrica Española. The investment is estimated at around 900 million euros. The University of Las Palmas has estimated in a study 2,500 direct, indirect and induced jobs across all phases.

Gofio Wind Farm: Project of the Galician company Greenalia, planned in one of Europe's windiest sea zones. The project was modified in an addendum in January 2024 to adapt to the Spanish Marine Spatial Planning regulations (Royal Decree 150/2023) and shifted to 48 MW with 3 floating wind turbines of 16 MW unit power each (146 m hub height, 252 m rotor diameter). Investment around 140.7 million euros. Greenalia obtained in 2021 the authorisation of the Spanish State Aviation Safety Agency AESA for the original 4-turbine version and positions the project as Spain's first floating offshore wind farm. Four further 50 MW projects (Dunas, Mojo, Cardon, Guanche) that Greenalia had requested in 2022 from the Secretaría de Estado de Energía were denied.

PRIMAVERA — Granadilla, Tenerife: Pilot facility of Primavera Offshore Wind. On 27 February 2026 the public information on authorisation was published in the Official State Gazette. 11 MW total, 2 wind turbines of 5.5 MW each, W2Power floating platform, anchorage in the Granadilla Port, distance from the dam 346 metres, turbine height up to 184 metres, rotor diameter up to 160 metres. Connection via the Granadilla substation, sufficient to supply 19,000 households.

To this is added the San Borondón project by Iberdrola: a 238 MW park also off the southeast coast of Gran Canaria, also targeting the Canary auction. Commissioning of the projects will be staggered. The PRIMAVERA pilot in Granadilla first — as demonstration. FOWCA, San Borondón and Gofio in a later award step, depending on auction and investment volume.

When will the first park run commercially?

The Spanish industry expectation is sober: not before 2032. This estimate comes from the WindEurope event 2026 itself and is shared by several industry sources. Three factors explain the long lead times.

First the regulatory procedure: Spain must first announce the first state offshore wind auction, define technical conditions, set authorisation procedures. The Canaries advocate for a separate procedure — whether the Ministry follows is open. Delays at this stage are realistic. Mariano Hernández Zapata noted in mid-April 2026 that the auction should have been launched in December 2024 — it has been pending for 16 months.

Second port infrastructure: Spanish ports are currently not fully equipped to produce, deliver and assemble offshore wind components at industrial scale. The Canaries want to build local port capacities through the Blue Supply Chain programme — an Interreg MAC 2021-2027 project with 85 percent FEDER funding.

Third investment volume: a 250 MW park costs according to industry estimates around 1 billion euros. Financing is done with a mix of private investors and EU funds — both need time for authorisations and planning security. The Canarian government has spent its own preparatory money in parallel to characterise the site: 6 million euros for meteorological and oceanographic data with Lidar buoys, 1.2 million euros for a complete geophysical seabed study.

Which political conflicts are at stake?

Three areas of tension surround the project.

Regulatory dispute with Madrid: The Canarian government does not want the archipelago forced into the same auction procedure as the mainland. The Ministry for Ecological Transition has not so far committed to a special procedure. The islands' demand is legitimate — but it can lead to delays if Madrid stalls. The Cabildo Gran Canaria under Antonio Morales also presented in January 2026 its own catalogue of demands to ensure municipal participation in tax revenues, local employment clauses and a defined share of energy for the island.

Conflict with fishing and tourism: The planned offshore parks off the southeast coast of Gran Canaria lie in zones historically used by fishing. The island's Cofradías have voiced reservations about use compatibility. Tourism associations also observe the development critically — floating wind turbines visible from hotel terraces are no trivial aesthetic issue. The Canarian government deployed a virtual reality visualisation in Madrid to address the visibility question. The facilities are 8 to 16 kilometres from the coast.

Industrial competition with Galicia: The Galicia region argues that with its shipbuilding industry (Ferrol, Vigo) it is the natural site for Spanish offshore wind industrialisation. Galicia also demands a pilot park. The Spanish government thus faces a politically difficult choice — both regions justify their demand with hard arguments. Schallenberg has emphasised in Madrid several times that any further delay erodes the Canarian industrial advantage.