6 MW WHEEL floating offshore wind project authorized off Gran Canaria

The Official Gazette of the Province of Las Palmas number 105, dated September 2, 2026, publishes announcement 2.852 from the Functional Area of Industry and Energy of the Government Delegation in the Canary Islands (registry 1746656, page 15267), making public the Resolution of the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines granting ESTEYCO, S.A. the prior administrative authorization for the installation of the WHEEL floating offshore wind prototype, 6 MW, and its evacuation infrastructure, off the stretch of coast between Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Telde, on the island of Gran Canaria. The file number is EOla-011-EoM-04.

The Resolution was issued on July 9, 2026, by the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. The announcement, signed on August 10, 2026, by the director of the Functional Area, Eloísa Moreno Talaya, publicizes a key administrative milestone for the development of floating wind power in the deep waters of the Canary Islands.

A prototype for deep waters

The objective of the project is the installation and operation of the WHEEL (Wind Hybrid Esteyco Evolution for Low-Carbon solutions) prototype, 6 MW, intended to test a floating wind technology designed for implementation in deep waters. The energy will be evacuated via a 20 kV submarine cable that will connect to the existing offshore wind prototype Mario Luis Romero Torrent (MLRT), through which the electricity will reach the 66 kV Jinámar substation using the existing electrical infrastructure.

The main characteristics of the installation are:

• Technology: offshore wind.
• Installed capacity: 6 MW.
• Turbine: two-bladed from 2-BEnergy, with a hub height of 85 m, rotor diameter of 140.60 m, and a nominal power of 6 MW.
• Surface area: 1,300 m² in territorial waters, at the Canary Islands Oceanic Platform (PLOCAN).
• Affected municipal district: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
• Evacuation infrastructure: 20 kV submarine power line, 3 km in length, which will connect to the ELICAN prototype (file EOla-011-EoM-II, MRLT Mario Luis Romero Torrent) at PLOCAN.

Pre-construction conditions

The authorization is granted under the conditions and particularities set forth in the Resolution and without prejudice to any concessions, authorizations, and permits that may be applicable. The administrative construction authorization may not be granted, nor may any work planned for the implementation of the prototype or its evacuation infrastructure begin, until the holder has complied with and submitted the following reports:

• Favorable report from Puertos del Estado (State Ports) for the purposes of maritime signaling and buoyage.
• Report from the Dirección General de la Marina Mercante (Directorate General of the Merchant Marine) regarding navigation safety.

Appeal Period

Against the Resolution, which does not exhaust administrative remedies, an Administrative Appeal (Recurso de Alzada) may be filed before the holder of the Secretaría de Estado de Energía (Secretary of State for Energy) within a period of one month, counted from the day following the notification or publication of the Resolution, whichever occurs last, in accordance with articles 121 and 122 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations. The full text of the Resolution can be consulted on the website of the Government Delegation in the Canary Islands.

The authorization of the WHEEL prototype consolidates Gran Canaria as a testing ground for floating offshore wind in deep waters, a technology called to play a central role in the energy transition of the archipelago. By reusing the existing evacuation infrastructure of the MLRT prototype, the project reduces the impact on the coastline and opens the door to future offshore wind farms in the Canary Islands, with direct implications for the energy sector and for the spatial planning of the marine area off the coast of Las Palmas and Telde.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Las Palmas, number 105, September 2, 2026, section I (State Administration), page 15267 (official reference: announcement 2.852, registry 1746656, file EOla-011-EoM-04).