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Desalination for Environmental Sustainability and LIFE

The DesaLIFE project aims to transform drinking water production by harnessing an abundant, renewable, and inexhaustible power source: the energy of ocean waves.

A small fleet of wave-powered desalination buoys will deliver up to 2,000* m³/day of carbon-neutral desalinated seawater to the onshore Arucas-Moya seawater desalination plant. This system will supply water equivalent to the needs of 15,000 residents along the northern coast of Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands, serving as the initial phase of implementation.

Rethinking Desalination

DesaLIFE is part of the LIFE Programme of the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). It focuses on the development and demonstration of an innovative technical solution to produce freshwater using wave energy. Aligned with the environmental objectives of the European Union, the European Green Deal, and the 2030 Agenda, the project seeks to deliver a viable, zero-emission desalination solution powered solely by wave energy. This makes it a key alternative for islands and regions with limited access to other renewable energy sources.

Project Aim: Wave Energy for Sustainable Seawater Desalination

DesaLIFE aims to demonstrate and validate a zero-emission desalination technology at a real scale in the north coast of Gran Canaria Island (Spain), harnessing wave energy to produce drinking water through reverse osmosis. This innovative and sustainable approach, independent of the power grid, will significantly boost seawater desalination capacity without increasing electricity demand, generating CO₂ emissions or brine disposal impacts, paving the way for a greener, more resilient water supply in the Canary Islands and contributing to its decarbonization.

Replicability

The project will assess the feasibility of replicating its solution to provide renewable freshwater on other islands within the archipelago and Macaronesia. This will help secure the future water supply and ensure that water availability is no longer a limiting factor for the region’s potential.

At the same time, it will support the transition toward a sustainable, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient economy, reducing dependence on finite energy sources and promoting local economic development.

Meet the consortium

The project unites a consortium of leading institutions and companies specializing in offshore renewable innovation, seawater desalination, and environmental management, among others.

Objectives:

Validate and certify an emission-free, wave-powered desalination solution in a full-scale operational environment on Gran Canaria Island’s northeastern coast.

Assess scalability and expansion opportunities across other water-scarce islands and coastal regions.

Roadmap and progress

2025

Project start

2026

First operational installation

2029

Finalization & scaling strategy

The project has four main phases:

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Design and optimization of the desalination buoy technology.

4-phases-02-v3

Pilot testing in a real operational environment at the Arucas-Moya plant.

4-phases-03-v3

Development of scaling and expansion frameworks.

4-phases-04-v3

Full-scale implementation and validation, deploying four full-scale units.

Key Milestones

2025

Finalize design and construct first full-scale prototype.

2026

Installation of the first desalination buoy and testing at the Arucas-Moya plant.

2027-2028

Implement refinements and deploy three additional units.

2029

Final validation and establish scalability and expansion roadmap for other locations.

News

Photos and videos

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Awards and recognition

Funding details

Co-funded by the European Union
Project Acronym: DESALIFE
Project Name: Desalination for Environmental Sustainability and LIFE
Call Identifier: LIFE-2023-SAP-ENV
Project reference: LIFE23-ENV-ES-DESALIFE/101147553
Granting authority: European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)
Project Duration: 60 months
Start Date: 01/01/2025
End Date: 31/12/2029
Total Eligible Budget: 9,880,868 € Total EU funding: 5,928,521 € (60%)

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CONTACT US FOR MORE DETAILS
PROJECT COORDINATOR Ocean Oasis Canarias, SL
DesaLIFE@oceanoasis.co

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    Project funded from the EU HE research and innovation project reference LIFE23-ENV-ES-DESALIFE/101147553

    Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting

    Ocean Oasis Canarias, SL

    Ocean Oasis Canarias, SL. coordinates the DesaLIFE project, combining advance marine and offshore engineering expertise with desalination technology capabilities.
    Ocean Oasis Canarias, SL is part of the OOAS group. After more than 2 years piloting an innovative wave-powered desalination buoy in the Port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Ocean Oasis now focuses on delivering a clean alternative to the conventional energy intensive desalination processes. Their technology makes zero- emission freshwater production increasingly accessible in coastal areas.

    This Canarian company has received considerable support from the European Union, local authorities and island partners. In 2024, the company received the Emprende XXI award recognizing it as the most innovative start-up in the Canary Islands.

    Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias (PLOCAN).

    Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (ITC) is a technology public body delivering projects and services in the areas of research, development and innovation, and advising the regional government on technological strategic areas such water and energy. In collaboration with universities, R&D institutions, companies and decision-makers of the Canary Islands and abroad, the ITC Water Department has developed and tested solutions with more than 20 pilot systems, not only coupling different desalination and Renewable Energy Sources (RES) technologies in Macaronesia, Marocco and Tunisia, but also demonstrating that the desalination-renewables combination is environmentally, socially and economically desirable. ITC leads the DESAL+ Living Lab platform, a fully equipped ecosystem that cooperates, researches and validates water desalination prototypes with a water-energy nexus and a renewable energies approach.[RH2]

    The Renewable Energy Systems Research Group (GRRES)

    The Renewable Energy Systems Research Group (GRRES) at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) contributes to specialized research in the field of renewable energy, the desalination-energy nexus, smart energy systems, energy application methods, and energy planning.

    The geographic location of the Canary Islands enables this public institution to share scientific projects, interact, and collaborate with universities and research centers worldwide.

    Elittoral Estudios de ingeniería costera y oceanográfica, SLNE

    Elittoral Estudios de ingeniería costera y oceanográfica, SLNE is a coastal and oceanographic engineering consulting firm specializing in marine environmental studies, offers its services in coastal studies focused on hydrology, water quality inspection and monitoring, ecosystems, and the effects of climate change. Its goal is to ensure the proper management of coastal areas and the sustainability of the projects it undertakes.
    elittoral is a knowledge-intensive company that develops R&D&I projects in the marine sector using advanced techniques and methodologies. The company operates internationally, with project references in Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, Angola, and Mozambique) and Latin America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, Guatemala, and Ecuador).[RH3]

    The Gran Canaria Water Council (CIAGC)

    The Gran Canaria Water Council (CIAGC) is a public law entity with its legal personality and full functional autonomy. It operates under a decentralized and participatory system, assuming responsibility for the unified direction, regulation, planning, and management of water resources. It functions as an autonomous body administratively affiliated with the Cabildo of Gran Canaria Island, Spain and was established in 1992 based on the Canary Islands Water Law of 1990.
    · It serves as the River Basin Authority for the Hydrographic Demarcation of Gran Canaria.

    • Some key facts highlighting its role in the Integrated Water Cycle on Gran Canaria Island:
    • It manages a total of 8 large dams.
    • It oversees wastewater treatment in 15 municipalities, in addition to 4 others on a supramunicipal basis.
    • It produces over 12 million cubic meters of desalinated seawater a year from its 4 desalination complexes.
    • It produces 6 million cubic meters of reclaimed water a year through its 7 reclaimed water stations (tertiary treatment).
    • It is the main supplier of industrial water for agricultural irrigation in the Canary Islands, Spain.
    • It distributes desalinated and reclaimed water through over 500 km of pipelines, reaching hundreds of farmers across much of the island.
    • As an associated partner in the European DesaLIFE project, the CIAGC manages the Arucas-Moya Seawater Desalination Plant (EDAM Arucas-Moya), where it will integrate the freshwater produced by wave-powered desalination buoys. Its participation in the project underscores its commitment to innovation and the use of renewable energy in the production of desalinated water.