The R&D&I Platform in Marine Energies of Catalonia (PLEMCAT), led by IREC, has been awarded the 2025 Engineering and Progress Award by the Col·legi d’Enginyers de Camins, Canals i Ports. The award was presented this Friday, May 16, at the Palau de la Música Catalana during the 35th Cerdà Awards – Nit de Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a key annual event for the engineering sector in Catalonia.

The award recognizes the driving force that the PLEMCAT platform represents for the development of floating offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Roses and its decisive contribution to the advancement of renewable energy, applied research, and technological innovation in the marine environment. Moreover, PLEMCAT will become a leading scientific observatory for marine environment monitoring, biodiversity tracking, and the study of environmental and climate impacts—helping to ensure an energy transition that respects the natural surroundings.

PLEMCAT is a unique infrastructure designed to support pioneering marine energy projects in the Mediterranean, including floating wind and related technologies. Led by IREC, a research center within the CERCA system, the project is supported by the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition and the Institut Català d’Energia (ICAEN) of the Government of Catalonia. It has also been selected in the RENMARINAS DEMOS call by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through IDAE and funded by the Next Generation EU program.

The platform will be capable of offering offshore infrastructure for the testing and validation of prototypes, components, new materials, energy generation systems, operations and maintenance using underwater robots, and digital solutions such as digital twins and advanced monitoring and simulation systems. It will be located within the LEBA1 zone, 16–24 km off the northern coast of Catalonia, with a planned 66 kV subsea export cable, and will support the testing of technologies with capacities up to 16 MW.

PLEMCAT is directly aligned with the strategic priorities of the Government of Catalonia, both in terms of energy policy—aiming for a clean, decentralized, and sovereign energy system—and in line with the research and innovation strategy laid out in RIS3CAT and the National Pact for the Knowledge Society. It represents a firm commitment to positioning Catalonia as a southern European benchmark in marine energy R&D&I, contributing to the ecological transition and driving a new sustainable industrial model.

During the award ceremony, several representatives of the project’s driving entities accepted the prize: IREC, the Directorate General of Energy of the Government of Catalonia, ICAEN, Sener, Esteyco, and X1 Wind.

IREC sincerely thanks the Col·legi d’Enginyers de Camins, Canals i Ports for granting this award, which underscores the value of collaboration between institutions, research centers, and companies in bringing transformative projects to life in service of the country and its sustainable energy future.