How to use ocean to produce tidal energy or the new renewable energy in Spain.
Despite having almost 6000 kilometers of coastline, there is no plan to use tidal energy in Spain. There have only been projects to generate wave energy in the Basque Country, Cantabria, and Galicia.
The only one currently in operation is the Mutriku plant in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country). Although many believe it to be a tidal energy plant, it generates electricity solely from ocean waves.
The Mutriku project has been the first wave energy production center in Europe since its installation in 2011. It has 16 turbines that produce about 600,000 kWh of electricity annually, supplying power to approximately 600 homes.
Tidal exploitation has not reached its peak. Its development does not compare to the rapid expansion seen in solar and wind energy. Both workers and investors wonder how the energy transition will affect their interests. Renewable energies have proven to employ an increasing number of people, even surpassing the number employed in fossil fuel industries. Furthermore, it is foreseeable that they will continue to expand as fossil fuels gradually disappear in the coming years.
This could change as Spain has tremendous potential in the Strait of Gibraltar. A plant there could completely replace the country’s nuclear energy production, according to Mario Iglesias Casals, the manager of Magallanes Renovables. This Galician company has already succeeded in producing tidal energy from its platform in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. It features a submerged mast with two-blade turbines to avoid a negative impact on the environment.
