Spain is at the forefront of an offshore wind revolution. Other nations have already released projects abroad, while the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany push large wind farms offshore. Spain faces a natural barrier: its territorial waters are quite deep, making fixed-seabed turbines hard to install. The emergence of floating offshore wind technology gives Spain a path to participate in the global boom and to overcome depth limitations.
In recent years, major energy groups have outlined plans to deploy wind farms along the Spanish coast. Iberdrola, a world leader in offshore wind, runs floating projects with more than 1,200 MW of capacity and targets sites in the Canary Islands and Galicia. Blue Float Energy and Sener together hold around 2,000 MW of projects across several locations, including a 1,200 MW scheme off Galicia, and they have also explored floating wind installations. Other players such as EDP Renewables, Engie, ACS, Greenalia, and Enerocean contribute to a portfolio exceeding 3,000 MW of planned capacity in areas including Galicia, Asturias, the Basque Country, Catalonia, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands.
This year, repsol and natural energy groups confirmed their intent to compete for Spain’s offshore wind leadership by forming alliances with global giants to expand their reach. Repsol plans to partner with the Danish leader Ørsted to develop parks within national waters, while Naturgy is aligning with Norwegian Equinor to pursue distribution opportunities in the Spanish market.
Today, the offshore wind surge in Spain remains a bold promise rather than a fully realized reality. The government approved last December the Roadmap for the Development of Offshore Wind and Marine Energy in Spain, a country strategy to propel new renewables in marine waters by 2030. The plan envisions floating offshore wind and tiny beginnings in marine energies, projecting between 1,000 and 3,000 MW for floating systems and related technologies such as wave and tidal energy.
Industry observers, including the Danish group Ørsted, describe Spain’s targets for the next decade as cautious and conservative. Yet there is belief in substantial untapped potential. Peter Obling, who leads Ørsted’s European Markets, told Montel that the country could support much more. The government also indicates that reaching 3,000 MW of floating wind would position Spain to absorb a significant share of the European Commission’s anticipated 2030 allocation for this technology, a claim noted by observers and officials alike.
First Auction in 2023
The moment to lay the groundwork for expansion is now. The Ministry of Ecological Transition, led by Teresa Ribera, engaged in a public consultation about the new regulatory framework for offshore wind and maritime uses to limit environmental impacts. The government committed to the first offshore wind floating auction in early 2023, a move confirmed by the Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen.
The Roadmap also envisions Spain becoming a hub of innovation for designing and testing new technologies, including an allocation of 200 million euros in aid to R&D through 2023, funded by European Recovery funds. Spain already boasts a growing footprint in floating wind research and innovation. Seven of the world’s 27 known floating wind initiatives are Spanish, and the country hosts Europe’s most extensive network of R&D facilities for offshore floating wind, plus other marine energies such as the Canary Islands Ocean Platform (PLOCAN) and the Vizcaya Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP). There is also the Punta Langosteira Marine Energy Experimental Zone in La Coruña, home to one of the world’s only large-scale wave energy test benches.
The offshore wind race is also a test of efficiency and profitability. Studies from the International Energy Agency and Wind Europe indicate that floating wind technology will mature quickly and drop operating costs. Current small-scale floating wind projects show a levelized cost of electricity between 180 and 200 euros per megawatt hour, with expectations that first commercial parks could fall to 80–100 euros per megawatt hour by 2025 and around 60 euros by 2030. The trend is toward even lower costs as the sector scales up and gains experience. The path forward hinges on continued innovation, favorable policies, and sustained investment that aligns with Spain’s ambitious but measured roadmap for offshore wind and marine energy.