Off Gran Canaria Island, the first Spanish offshore wind turbine has one particularity: it is telescopic. A world first. Installed in mid-2018, it was put into service on 17 March 2019.

The Ministry of Economy and Industry of the Canary Islands reported on the 17th March that the wind turbine of the Elican project has entered into service. Set up in June 2018 on the Canary Islands Oceanic Platform (Plocan) off Gran Canaria Island, the prototype is not only the first offshore wind turbine for Spain, but above all the first telescopic wind turbine.

The project, selected in 2015 following the call for proposals H2020-LCE-2015-2, had a total budget of €17,107,301.25. Two-thirds of the project have been funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme and it has been coordinated by the Spanish civil engineering company Esteyco. The project is being carried out by a consortium of companies: Siemens Gameca Renewable Energy supplied the turbine, the British ALE Heavylift was in charge of sea operations and mast lifting, DEWI Germany has provided and installed the measurement equipment and will analyse the test and operation data. And Plocan has made its platform available.