Today the AquaWind project was presented at AquaFuture Spain 2023, one of the most renowned exhibitions within the aquaculture industry. Taking place at the Feira Internacional de Galicia Abanca exhibition center, near Santiago de Compostela, this second International Aquaculture Industry Exhibition will be available from today until this Thursday, with the aim of becoming the great aquaculture forum.
In addition to the AquaWind project, this second edition engaged 160 companies from 24 different countries. Topics set for discussion included several AquaWind-related fields such as financing sustainable aquaculture, the circular economy, precision aquaculture, renewable energy or international market opportunities, among others.
During the event, the AquaWind project coordinator, Javier Roo, talked about this initiative as an innovative multi-use prototype which combines offshore renewable energy and aquaculture in the Atlantic Basin. “AquaWind is the only European initiative that combines the production of renewable energy offshore and fish farming in the first floating wind platform in Spain, capable of jointly producing wind energy and high-quality fish,” said Roo, head of R+D+i projects at the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation, and the Information Society of the Government of the Canary Islands (ACIISI, by its acronym in Spanish).
AquaWind has been 80% co-financed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. Thus, the remaining 20% corresponds to funds from the consortium members. The project, led from the Canary Islands by ACIISI, has strategic partners in France, Portugal and Spain.
In the Canary Islands, the consortium has key entities such as the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) , the University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria or the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster. Moreover, the consortium includes specialized companies in aquaculture production and marketing such as Canexmar S.L. or in the management and communication of European projects, like Consulta Europa Projects & Innovation. Other strategic partners are the Portuguese company WAVEC, experts in marine renewable energy solutions, offshore aquaculture and ocean engineering, or the French company Innosea, specialists in multidisciplinary engineering, strategic advice and R&D consultancy in marine renewable energies.