ENERCOP wins the Best Project Award at Navalia’s Innovation Zone 2026 for its offshore energy storage system
ANKERPLEX receives the runner-up prize in an edition marked by the growth of the Vigo Free Trade Zone Consortium's Innovation Zone and its commitment to the blue economy and new technologies.
Navalia 2026 Innovation Zone has a winner. The Lenny project, Offshore Energy Storage, developed by the company ENERCOP, has been awarded the Prize for Best Innovation Project in this edition, a recognition endowed with 1,000 euros and promoted within the framework of the space promoted by the Vigo Free Trade Zone Consortium and managed by the Spanish Naval and Ocean Engineers’ Association (AINE).
David Regades, delegate of the Consortium, was in charge of announcing the jury's decision, although the official awards ceremony will take place next July during a gala organized by AINE. The award-winning project proposes the development of an innovative, patented offshore energy storage system based on floodable tanks suspended from a floating platform. The system harnesses the potential energy generated during the tanks' descent to power a generator, while the water is subsequently evacuated using compressed air to facilitate the ascent and restart the cycle.
Currently, the initiative is in the technical and economic feasibility study phase, with the goal of building a prototype by 2027. The project is being modeled using advanced simulations under various climate and operational scenarios, evaluating aspects related to the platform, guidance systems, mooring, and compatibility with other marine energy generation technologies.
The jury particularly valued the potential of this solution within the energy storage and decarbonization challenges promoted by the European Union, as well as its sustainable nature, given that it is a recyclable system that does not consume natural resources during operation and requires no critical materials. The project also has funding from the European Union's Next Generation funds through the IDAE-MITECO "New Business Models" program.
Meanwhile, the runner-up prize in the Navalia 2026 Innovation Zone, announced by Beatriz Spuch, dean in Galicia of the Spanish Naval and Ocean Engineers Association, was awarded to ANKERPLEX. This proposal focuses on the development of an innovative anchor design made up of three standardized flat sheet metal pieces that allow for quick, safe, and highly efficient assembly for maritime operations.
The project stands out for eliminating moving parts susceptible to blockage or deterioration, improving aspects such as seabed penetration, holding power, and repositioning during changes in trajectory. The jury considered criteria such as technological innovation, design originality, contribution to naval and ocean engineering, and its contribution to sustainable development linked to the blue economy.
Navalia's Innovation Zone has experienced significant growth in this tenth edition, doubling its size to 400 square meters and bringing together more than twenty projects related to fields such as artificial intelligence, new fuels, drones, digitalization, sustainability, and autonomous vessels. This confirms the consolidation of this space as one of the main showcases for innovation applied to the naval sector within the event.