The Directorate General for Coasts and Management of the Canary Maritime Space of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) held a meeting today at PLOCAN’s facilities in Taliarte (Gran Canaria) to examine new avenues for collaboration based on ongoing projects along the Archipelago’s coastline, with particular attention to moorings and the development of technological tools to support more sustainable and innovative coastal management.
The meeting took place within the framework of a working session held by the Directorate General’s staff at PLOCAN’s facilities in Taliarte. The session enabled the regional department to review progress made during the current term of office in coastal management, and to define objectives and priorities for the next financial year.
“Today we begin a working session of the Directorate General for Coasts and for Management of the Canary Maritime Space at PLOCAN, an important facility for coastal development in the Canary Islands. This session is key to working and setting objectives for 2026 and also to advancing collaboration between both institutions with a view to launching joint programmes in 2026 and 2027, drawing on the experience PLOCAN has in coastal management,” said the Regional Director General for Coasts, Antonio Acosta. “Seeking the necessary synergies to transform the Canary coastline—especially through management and innovation—is where PLOCAN can provide great value.”
During the meeting, both entities highlighted the opportunity to open new collaborative processes in response to the challenges arising from the transfer of competencies received by the Directorate General from the central government. “These challenges include, among others, strengthening coastal control and monitoring, incorporating technology for preventive management, and promoting a more sustainable blue economy with higher environmental quality,” explained PLOCAN’s Managing Director, Carlos Medina.
In this context, PLOCAN conveyed its “willingness to collaborate closely with the Directorate General for Coasts as a strategic partner to drive these technological challenges forward,” Medina said, making available its scientific and technical expertise, testing capabilities, and technology. The shared objective is to move towards a smarter coastal model through automation, the integration of sensors and preventive instrumentation, and the development of tools for intelligent data processing—improving management efficiency and generating scalable solutions applicable to other areas.
One of the priority areas identified at the meeting was moorings, where both entities see scope to strengthen knowledge exchange and explore joint projects that contribute to more orderly, safe, and sustainable management.
The possibility of strengthening synergies based on initiatives already underway at PLOCAN was also discussed, including the H2Heat and Delta projects and PLOCAN’s Test Site, among others, as levers for developing new technological tools and solutions applicable to the Canary Islands’ coastline.
Con este encuentro, la Dirección General de Costas y PLOCAN dan un paso adelante en el refuerzo de la cooperación institucional, con la vista puesta en programas conjuntos para los próximos años que integren gestión, innovación y sostenibilidad al servicio del litoral de Canarias.
