Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands
TA45 – PLOCAN-TEST SITE
Location
Carretera de Taliarte s/n
35200 Telde, Spain
Description
This is a 23 km2 offshore test site for marine technologies of multiple natures, with access to a unique ecosystem. It aims to accelerate knowledge, sustainability and responsible use of the marine environment in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It enables and contributes to boost the development of technologies and knowledge in the marine environment, with observation systems and open ocean, in real conditions.
It is equipped with an electrical and communications infrastructure, consisting of two medium-voltage submarine cables (with one connection each) of 5MW each, which allow the connection of technologies that use natural resources to generate electricity. These cables allow the energy generated to be delivered to the island’s electricity transmission grid.
Testing Capabilities
- Marine Operation on the Offshore Ocean Platform This facility provides efficient access to the ocean at increasing depths in an environmentally sustainable manner. It offers its facilities for scientific and technological experimentation and research. Being on the edge of a continental shelf, it offers access to depths of up to about 600m, allowing for deep investigations and access to large water columns. On the other hand, by providing sleeping and living areas, it allows non-stop research to be carried continuously.
- Marine Technical Operation with VIMAS: The VIMAS facility provides access to the fleet of gliders, ROVs and ASVs based in the Canary Islands. It offers a unique opportunity for scientists and engineers to use unique equipment in both coastal and open ocean areas to carry out research, monitoring or testing activities, being able to perform continuous measurements of various meteorological and oceanographic variables, sampling, ocean testing, etc.
Technical Equipment
Offshore Platform and Marine Test Site:
- Telescopic crane with a capacity of 500 kg at 5 m
- Marine crane of 20 Tn load capacity at 9 m
- Gantry crane with a load capacity of 4 tons – submarine cables
- 2 submarine communication cables
- Onshore and subsea electrical transformer station
- Connection to the electricity transmission grid
- Monitoring system
- Smart grid
- Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)
- Automatic flow measurement system
- Sensors for physicochemical and phytoplancton monintorisation
- Meteorological station
- Air quality station
- Harshlab (marine materials testing facility)
Main equipment of the Platform:
- Personnel transfer basket (by crane) capable of carrying up to four standing passengers or two persons plus stretcher (maximum gross weight: 800kg)
- Telescopic crane with 17.7 m
- Wastewater treatment plant: 2 greywater treatment plants (for recycling 3,500 l/d) and sewage water (about 94% reduction in BOD, 93% in SS and 80% in CDO)
- 3×11 m3 tanks obtaining seawater from different depths and 2×16 m3 tanks, one with seawater that will undergo a desalination process and pass to the other where fresh water is accumulated, desalination system with a capacity of 16 m3/d, fresh water tank, hand tools and other small equipment, two pallet trucks with a maximum load capacity of 2.5 tn
Additional information
Technology Readiness Level: 7 or above
Special considerations: N/A
Technology clusters: Energy Storage, Hydrogen, Information and Communication Technologies, Integrated Grids, Materials for Energy, Ocean Energy, Offshore Wind, PV
Website: https://plocan.eu
Availability: All year
Provision of tools to prepare data sets in a FAIR way: Yes
