A new “hurricane-resistant” tidal energy structure has been installed off the coast of Spain’s Gran Canaria, in what developers hope will be a breakthrough in renewable systems capable of working through hurricanes.
A PLATEC project developed under the European Union’s Horizon Europe, the prototype uses Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) to provide electricity to climate-vulnerable island nations.
“This is more than just a test of the underlying technology, which has already been proven to work — it’s a demonstration of flexibility,” said Dan Grech, founder and CEO of Global OTEC. “If we can demonstrate that OTEC platforms can operate safely and consistently during extreme weather, we open a new chapter for clean baseload power in the regions that need it most.”
The installation comes just weeks before COP30 and the EarthShot Prize 2025, where climate resilience and energy security for vulnerable regions are expected to be at the top of the agenda. This marks the first long-term overseas operation of an OTEC platform in decades, following early temporary demonstrations such as the historic MiniTEC and OTEC One projects, which were deployed from Keyhole Point, Hawaii, United States of America in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which used a US Navy badge and modified World War I combat.
This phase involves the deployment of the platform’s cylindrical hull on the offshore platform of the Canary Islands (Plucon) test site. The next phase will see the installation and connection of cold water pipes, completing the system before full structural testing in the Atlantic Ocean environment.
During this structural testing phase, the platform will be exposed to rough conditions in the Atlantic Ocean, analyzing its resistance, materials and design. Fugro’s sensors will record gyroscopic and accelerometer data to monitor the vessel’s motion and, later, the stability of the cold water pipe, linking them to local wave data.
“The data collected during the tests will validate our computational models and show how accurately we can simulate the interaction between a large-diameter riser and vessel under a variety of conditions,” said Sam Johnston, lead engineer at Global OTEC. “This will be combined with performance data to risk future projects from grid-connected OTEC power plants.”
The PLATEC project aims to accelerate the transition to renewable energy for tropical island states like Barbados, which face extreme weather and rely heavily on diesel generation. The prototype, which is engineered to withstand tropical cyclones, is meant to demonstrate how OTEC can provide power to cyclone-affected regions.
In addition to advancing OTEC’s role in clean energy production, the project supports marine engineering, computational modeling, and the development of weather-resistant materials for offshore use. The structure is named “Don” in honor of British aircraft engineer and Royal Navy veteran Don Lennard who dedicated his life to advancing OTEC technology.
Testing will continue in the coming months, with performance data expected in early 2026. If successful, the results will guide the design of a full-scale OTEC system capable of powering island-wide grids and offshore facilities.
