Engineer Bartomeu Rosselló, the main driving force behind the Alcudia TechMar project, has definitively abandoned the idea, citing "lack of political leadership". A version of the project, which he describes as "more evolved and mature", will instead be located in the Tarragona innovation district.
Rosselló, a specialist in sustainability projects who is the president of the Mallorca Circle of Businesses, says: "The Balearics could have been a pioneer in the blue economy, starting with the Alcanada power plant. But there was a lack of political leadership, something that exists in Catalonia. We had the necessary funding, the UN was interested in establishing offices for its environmental programme, and Audi had its innovation centre."
Alcudia TechMar had the support of Alcudia Town Hall, the Council of Mallorca and the Balearic Government. This was before the Partido Popular came to power in all three in the 2023 elections. In November 2022, the Council of Mallorca had acquired the old power station from Endesa for €300,000 with the aim of preserving its heritage elements and transforming it into an innovation district through an investment of €103 million.
The PP didn't reject the Alcudia TechMar idea out of hand but nor did they progress it, the only development having been the recent tendering to draft the project for site decontamination.
Rosselló adds: "The project was declared strategic within the 2020-2030 investment plan, positioning the Balearic Islands at the forefront of the blue economy. We were first in the entire Mediterranean and would have attracted innovative projects focused on decarbonising the sea. A strategic project must transcend periods of political office. It is designed to meet future needs, and the productive diversification of the Balearic Islands will, sooner or later, have to move towards the blue economy, but it will no longer be from a leadership position - that train has already left the station."
Alcudia TechMar would finally have provided a purpose for the transformation of the long-abandoned power station. But it was way more than just this. There were eleven sub-projects. These included a university knowledge hub for nautical, engineering, and decarbonised naval technology; a cluster for entities engaged in the blue economy sector; a co-living area; labs and a centre for promoting entrepreneurship in this sector.
Catalonia is committing to a more ambitious project with initial investment of up to €750 million. As a native of Mallorca, Rosselló laments the fact that "local talent has to go elsewhere to work on cutting-edge projects, while we let this opportunity slip by here".