Monday, 30 September 2019
CANCELLATION OF THE LIFE WINDRO PROJECT - LIFE15 CCMES000040
The LIFE Windro CCMES000040 project was launched in October 2016 with the aim of building a wind turbine for the desalination and purification of seawater through reverse osmosis.
However, as a result of various setbacks, the project was finally cancelled on 30/09/2019.
In the initial proposal of the project, we considered the construction of a 100 kW prototype that was to supply the energy required for the desalination and purification of the water. However, as a result of various legal impediments we were forced to change the location of the prototype to Burriana (Castellón, Spain), in addition to reducing its power to 25 kW.
On the other hand, in mid-February 2018, the company ADEPRO INGENIERIA informed us of the cessation of its activity and its intention to abandon the project, so we started to look for another partner who could replace it.
Shortly afterwards, in June 2018, FACSA also decided to abandon the project, as the power of the prototype was diminishing and the project was not in line with the company's interests.
Therefore, we were forced to look for two new partners, with part of the budget already consumed, which made it even more difficult to find such partners. In particular, although a wind turbine company was initially accepted by EASME as a new partner in the project, we were unable to find a second partner with experience in reverse osmosis plants, which led to the cancellation of the project.
During the period in which the LIFE Windro project has been active, it has been demonstrated that the idea on which the project was based was interesting and well received not only by the general public but also by all the companies we contacted. However, the problems encountered have led to its cancellation.
As a conclusion, we can remark that during this period we have been able to learn lessons that will be very useful for new projects. On the one hand, the need to have a consortium of well-established and financially solvent companies. On the other hand, to have a greater knowledge and connection with the actors and local authorities to facilitate permits and speed up bureaucratic procedures.
As regards possible future measures that could be carried out to develop a project similar to the LIFE Windro, we would like to point out that during the search for partners to replace ADEPRO and FACSA we contacted different companies that would be interested in carrying out a similar implementation in their reverse osmosis plants. These companies highlighted the novelty of the project and the need to obtain desalinated water in a sustainable manner, taking into account the current environmental situation and given the foreseen evolution for the coming years, which could seriously affect the Mediterranean basin and many islands.
In the initial proposal of the project, we considered the construction of a 100 kW prototype that was to supply the energy required for the desalination and purification of the water. However, as a result of various legal impediments we were forced to change the location of the prototype to Burriana (Castellón, Spain), in addition to reducing its power to 25 kW.
On the other hand, in mid-February 2018, the company ADEPRO INGENIERIA informed us of the cessation of its activity and its intention to abandon the project, so we started to look for another partner who could replace it.
Shortly afterwards, in June 2018, FACSA also decided to abandon the project, as the power of the prototype was diminishing and the project was not in line with the company's interests.
Therefore, we were forced to look for two new partners, with part of the budget already consumed, which made it even more difficult to find such partners. In particular, although a wind turbine company was initially accepted by EASME as a new partner in the project, we were unable to find a second partner with experience in reverse osmosis plants, which led to the cancellation of the project.
During the period in which the LIFE Windro project has been active, it has been demonstrated that the idea on which the project was based was interesting and well received not only by the general public but also by all the companies we contacted. However, the problems encountered have led to its cancellation.
As a conclusion, we can remark that during this period we have been able to learn lessons that will be very useful for new projects. On the one hand, the need to have a consortium of well-established and financially solvent companies. On the other hand, to have a greater knowledge and connection with the actors and local authorities to facilitate permits and speed up bureaucratic procedures.
As regards possible future measures that could be carried out to develop a project similar to the LIFE Windro, we would like to point out that during the search for partners to replace ADEPRO and FACSA we contacted different companies that would be interested in carrying out a similar implementation in their reverse osmosis plants. These companies highlighted the novelty of the project and the need to obtain desalinated water in a sustainable manner, taking into account the current environmental situation and given the foreseen evolution for the coming years, which could seriously affect the Mediterranean basin and many islands.