Prototype 'Don' aims to provide hurricane-resistant power in Spain

Spanish engineers have installed a prototype ocean energy platform named Don off the coast of Gran Canaria, designed to withstand hurricane-force storms while generating continuous clean electricity. Developed under the EU-funded Horizon Europe PLOTEC project by Global OTEC, Don utilizes Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) technology, which exploits the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep ocean water to produce renewable power. The platform aims to provide reliable baseload energy to vulnerable island nations exposed to climate extremes, addressing a key limitation of OTEC—its vulnerability to severe storms. Currently undergoing structural testing at the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN), Don’s cylindrical hull has been deployed in the Atlantic, with plans to install the cold-water pipe essential for thermal conversion. Equipped with advanced sensors from Fugro, the platform’s performance—including stability and response to wave activity—is being closely monitored and compared with prior simulations to validate computational models. This testing is critical to proving Don’s resilience and de-risking future OTEC