Description
The R&D&I Platform in Marine Energies of Catalonia (PLEMCAT), led by the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) and supported by the Generalitat of Catalunya through the Institut Català d’Energia (ICAEN), will be a unique infrastructure for developing pioneering and innovative projects for the development of floating offshore wind and other marine energies in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as related sciences and technologies.
The Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) is a research center in energy, which is part of the CERCA system, and has the TECNIO accreditation. IREC is recognized as a reference research center in the field of energy at an international level. Its participation in PLEMCAT demonstrates its commitment to the development of innovative and sustainable solutions to address the energy challenges of the future.
PLEMCAT has the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In addition, according to the resolution of 21st July 2023, the application for a grant for Subprogram 1, dedicated to R&D&I platforms, has been admitted into the Provisional Resolution Proposal of the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, in collaboration with IDAE.
GOALS
The objective of PLEMCAT is to position the R&D&I sector of Catalonia as a leader in floating wind power and marine sciences and technologies among Mediterranean countries. PLEMCAT will provide a floating platform in the Mediterranean Sea as a test laboratory for the advancement and validation of floating wind power, marine energy and other related technical activities.
The aim of PLEMCAT is to facilitate research in all stages of the development of a floating offshore wind power system and other energy technologies in a marine environment, including the development of advanced simulation models, advanced monitoring, digital twins and control, operation and maintenance through ROV (remotely operated vehicle), climate data, and design of new mooring systems and floats.
EVALUATION AND TESTING ZONES
PLEMCAT will offer a floating platform in the Mediterranean Sea as a testing laboratory for different components, thematic areas, and related technical activities to advance and validate floating wind energy, marine energies, and monitor the marine ecosystem for environmental, climate, and biodiversity studies.
The platform will include different zones at sea for the validation of these activities and tests:
i) Zone for the evaluation of materials and components to understand and identify their behaviour in real marine conditions, and an area for other R&D&I activities;
ii) Test zone for prototypes of marine energy generation technologies with positions up to 18 MW;
iii) Validation zone for pre-commercial wind generation technologies with long-term permanence.
DEVELOPMENT PHASES AND LOCATION
PLEMCAT will have an underground evacuation line and will be located within the area marked as LEBA II by the Levantine-Balearic POEM, in the Gulf of Roses. It will be located at a distance of 16-24 km from the north coast of Catalonia and will be connected through a 66 kV submarine power evacuation line to handle the energy generated during tests.
It is planned that PLEMCAT activities will be developed in two phases covering all ranges of R&D&I activities from TRL3 to TRL9: The first phase will focus on all activities related to prototype testing, components and other actions. In a second phase, the area for pre-commercial systems will be enabled, thus covering the entire range of research and development activities from the laboratory to the market. In this context, the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research is studying the dissemination of the possibilities and services that PLEMCAT can offer to all interested parties.
In the second phase, the competent authority for the management of PLEMCAT will approve and publish the requirements and conditions to regulate the use of the platform’s capabilities and the selection process of pre-commercial systems, based on the regulations determined by the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico.
The PLEMCAT platform aims to contribute to the advancement and validation of prototypes that are currently in a scale of 1-5 MW, allowing the testing of turbines (or other generation systems) up to 18 MW, as well as in related technologies and processes, including dynamic cables, autonomous robots for O&M or new materials; in addition, it aims to become an observatory of climate change, biodiversity and environmental monitoring of the Mediterranean Sea. In this way, PLEMCAT will cover research in all phases and fields that impact the development of a floating marine wind system or other marine energies, including the development of advanced simulation models, advanced monitoring, digital twins and control, operation and maintenance through ROV (remotely operated vehicle), climate data and the design of new fixation and floatation systems.
In its initial phase, and as a first action, PLEMCAT will be presented by the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research as an R&D&I project in subprogram 1, ” Plataformas de ensayo para renovables marinas por organismos de investigación ” in the call for proposals of the l’Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE) for the granting of aid to investment in pilot projects and testing platforms and port infrastructures for marine renewables in the framework of the ” Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (1ª Convocatoria. Programa RENMARINAS DEMOS)” of the Ministerio para la para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico.
EXPECTED TIMELINE
The following forecast schedule shows the first phase of the project:
| Tasks | T4/ 2022 | T1/ 2023 | T2/ 2023 | T3/ 2023 | T4/ 2023 | T1/ 2024 | T2/ 2024 | T3/ 2024 | T4/ 2024 | T1/ 2025 | T2/ 2025 | T3/ 2025 | T4/ 2025 | T1/ 2026 |
| Authorization and permits application | ||||||||||||||
| Authorization and permits resolution | ||||||||||||||
| RENMARINAS DEMOS request | ||||||||||||||
| RENMARINAS DEMOS resolution and acceptance | ||||||||||||||
| Tenders phase | ||||||||||||||
| Construction and installation | ||||||||||||||
| Start of activities |
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – March 2023
TECHNICAL CRITERIA OF THE PLEMCAT PLATFORM
PLEMCAT technical score
| Concept | Characteristics | Max. Points | |
| Prototype power | MW | Max 15MW | 30 |
| Output voltage | kV | Design: 66kV | 10 |
| Test duration | years | Time:>=2 years | 10 |
| Prototype height | m | Max 260m | 10 |
| Anchoring system radius | m | To check | 10 |
| Prototype COST estimation | €/MWh | Average costs | 20 |
| GWP estimation | grCO2/MWh | Average value | 20 |
| Financing | YES/NO | 20 | |
| Maturity level | Relative to size | 20 | |
| Pre-certifications | YES/NO | 10 | |
| Territorial impact of the value chain | YES/NO | 10 | |
| Open data | YES/NO | 10 | |
| Monitoring for climate and marine environment data | YES/NO | 10 | |
| CO-USES considerations | YES/NO | 10 | |
| MAX points | 200 |
| Documentation and requirements |
|---|
| Signed confidential agreement. |
| Project report: – Technical pre-project: plans, technical data. – Environmental impact study. Permissions applied and status – Technical-economic studies about the project impact. |
| Signed letter of expression of interest. |
GENERIC EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (not active)
The deadline for this call has expired.
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR FLOATING MARINE ENERGIES (not active)
The deadline for this call has expired.
PROVISIONAL RESOLUTION OF PROPOSALS
Resolution related to the Manifestation for Floating Marine Energies
In accordance with good governance and best practices, in this section, IREC will publish the provisional resolution issued by the PLEMCAT Commission of IREC with the provisional classification obtained for the received actions or proposals.
This provisional resolution issued by the PLEMCAT Commission of IREC with the final classification will be subject to compliance and validation of the administrative and financial requirements required for the classified interested parties’ actions or proposals, as well as the obtaining of subsidies from the Subprogram 1 of the mentioned call dedicated to R&D&I platforms, the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, as well as the firm obtaining of all necessary corresponding administrative authorizations.
| Submit reference | Id. | No. Subprogram/ Nosubprogram | Score | Ranking order |
| 2 | 26590-2 | NO | 174.5 | 1 |
| 5/02 | 26590-5 | 3 | 170 | 2 |
| 1 | 26590-1 | 3 | 164.5 | 3 |
| 6 | 26590-6 | NO | 159.5 | 4 |
| 5/01 | 26590-5 | 3 | 157 | 5 |
| 3 | 26590-3 | 4 | 154.5 | 6 |
| 7 | 26590-7 | 3 | 107 | 7 |
| 2 | 26131-2 | NO | 0 | Submitted outside the time |
*Assignment of priority order linked to the different subprograms of the RENMANIRAS DEMOS call.
For more details, visit the link of the document “Provisional resolution of eligible candidates for the future PLEMCAT Platform“.
Appeal against the resolution to the Manifestation for Floating Marine Energies
Against the provisional resolution issued by the PLEMCAT Commission of IREC, an appeal may be lodged within a maximum period of 15 calendar days from the day following its publication. The complaint must be submitted via email to plemcat@irec.cat, using an “Exposition-Request” form addressed to IREC.
The resolution of the complaint by the PLEMCAT Commission of IREC will issue and notify the decision of the appeal, which will be duly justified, through the website https://www.irec.cat/research/strategic-initiatives/plemcat/ within a maximum period of 3 working days, starting from the day after the deadline for filing the complaint.
PROVISIONAL ELIGIBLE CANDIDACIES – Final Call August 2023
CALL FOR FINAL RESOLUTION OF ELIGIBLE CANDIDACIES FOR USE OF PLEMCAT
Call for final resolution of eligible candidacies for use of PLEMCAT
In accordance with the resolution of 21st July 2023, the application for aid for PLEMCAT (Subprogramme 1) has been accepted into the evaluation and selection phase of applications. This is in line with the Provisional Resolution Proposal from the Institute for Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE), corresponding to the first call of the programme. This programme grants aid to investment in pilot projects, test platforms, and port infrastructures for marine renewables, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan financed by the European Union–Next GenerationEU (1st Call – RENMARINAS DEMOS Programme of the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica together with the IDAE).
Given the deadlines and conditions set by the RENMARINAS DEMOS call, those interested in utilising the capabilities of the future R&D&I platform in Marine Energies of Catalonia, PLEMCAT, are requested to submit their candidacy no later than 31st August 2023. This can be done through the form found at the end of this section, attaching the technical documentation of the proposal (new or updated).
Once the received documentation has been reviewed, the updated provisional classification of eligible candidacies will be published in this section. Based on this classification, the PLEMCAT Evaluation Commission, which will convene at the beginning of September 2023, will issue a Final Resolution. This resolution will determine the eligible candidacies that will utilise the operational capacities, evacuation, and availability of space for the PLEMCAT platform once it is launched. This will be in accordance with the selection criteria that will be published in the “Final Resolution of Proposals” section.
The aforementioned availability for the use of the PLEMCAT platform by the classified candidacies, once it is launched, will be contingent upon the formalisation of the necessary financing. It will also depend on obtaining all the necessary administrative authorisations for the launching of the platform.
Eligible candidates submitting proposals for the first time must send, through the aforementioned form, a confidentiality agreement (as per the model available at this link) and a letter (in a free format) signed by the legal representative. This should be accompanied by a descriptive technical report detailing the content of their project, economic viability, estimated execution calendar, their degree of maturity (including, if applicable, the stage of processing they are at), and how it could align with PLEMCAT.
FORM for the final call for the resolution of eligible candidacies for use of PLEMCAT
The final date for the submission of the required information is the 31st of August, 2023.
PROVISIONAL RESOLUTION OF THE FINAL CALL FOR PROTOTYPE TRIALS IN PLEMCAT
In line with good governance and best practices, IREC publishes the provisional resolution of the final call issued by the PLEMCAT Commission with the provisional precedence obtained from the proposals received.
This provisional resolution issued by the PLEMCAT Commission has been assessed following the technical criteria defined in the call, with a deadline for submitting applications on 31st August 2023.
The provisional order of precedence is as follows:
| Register/Submit Reference | Score |
|---|---|
| Submit Reference 4 | 204.4 |
| Submit Reference: 10/3 | 204 |
| Submit Reference: 10/2 | 199.92 |
| Submit Reference: 3 | 192.4 |
| Submit Reference: 8 | 191.4 |
| Submit Reference: 9 | 188.4 |
| Submit Reference: 10/1 | 188.3 |
| Submit Reference: 6 | 130 |
| Submit Reference: 7 | 111 |
Against this provisional resolution, claims can be lodged from the day following its publication on the IREC website until 14:00 on 29th September 2023.
These deadlines have been adjusted in order to respond to the requirements for the fulfilment of the RENMARINAS DEMOS programme.
This provisional resolution proposal for the final call does not grant any rights in favour of the candidacy against PLEMCAT.
Additionally, companies that decide to withdraw or reject their application to notify us as soon as possible to facilitate the preparation of the definitive list.
GENERAL REGULATION FOR FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE PROTOTYPE TESTING AT THE PLEMCAT PLATFORM
General regulation for Floating Offshore Wind Turbine prototype testing at the PLEMCAT Platform.
The document presented herein has been composed in accordance with the agreements and mandates established during the Board meetings of the IREC Foundation on the 15th of June and the 8th of September 2023. Additionally, it includes the decisions made by the PLEMCAT Commission. It is important to note that this document will be submitted for ratification by the Board of the IREC Foundation at its next regular meeting, and its approval is contingent upon this ratification.
The aim of this document is to define the overarching regulation that will govern the testing of prototypes within the Marine Energy R&D Platform of Catalonia (known as the PLEMCAT Platform or simply PLEMCAT). This regulation will apply to operators who are awarded a specific testing zone and an electrical grid connection point, in line with the final resolution of the call for prototype testing at PLEMCAT, which can be consulted on this very website.
The reference document can be downloaded via the following link:
CONTACT
For any other inquiries related to PLEMCAT, please contact us through this form:
