Naturgy and BlueNewables are developing a 1 MW floating solar power plant off Spain’s Mediterranean coast, with two 500 kW units, designed for use on the open sea and scheduled to start testing in 2026.
Naturgy, through its innovation platform Innovahub and Spanish startup BlueNewables, is promoting a project to develop floating photovoltaic technology for open sea environments.
This initiative, which has received a grant from the Spanish Institute for Energy Diversification and Savings (IDAE) under the Renmarinas program, aims to explore new renewable solutions that contribute to the decarbonization of the energy system.
As part of the collaboration, Naturgy and BlueNewables will exchange technical, operational, strategic and economic information generated during the development of the pilot project, covering both the production and testing phases. This collaboration will continue for two years after system deployment and will include performance data, technical issues, operational reports, cost information, lessons learned and technology implementation strategies.
The project involves the design, production, commissioning and monitoring of two 500 kW units optimized for use in ocean environments. The technology is based on an innovative catamaran-style design that allows the use of more economical floats and positions the solar panels further from direct wave impact, improving both maintenance and performance.
The system is currently under construction at the San Enrique shipyard in Vigo, with commissioning scheduled for March 2026, after which field testing will begin in the port of Valencia.
Last July, Vigo-based San Enrique shipyard, part of the Marina Meridional group, laid the keel for the first of two floating electricity generation platforms for Canary Islands-based company BlueNewables in the port of Valencia. This structure, with a deck of 64 x 41 meters, will house 600 photovoltaic panels and is designed to produce approximately 0.50 MW of electricity. According to the company, the patented design enables rapid production, easy maintenance and maximum electricity generation.
This first module is part of a project launched in March 2025 that includes two units of the floating platform PV Forest (PhotoVoltaic–Bluenewables Offshore Solutions), with a total capacity of 1 MW. Installation and first testing are planned for 2026.
Acciona Ingeniería and BlueNewables also collaborated on a project announced in 2021 to develop 2.5 MW of floating photovoltaic capacity for the Port of Málaga.
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
Popular content
