Barcelona City Council has set out a €150 million plan for its blue economy by 2030, with the aim of drawing in private capital and supporting growth in the sector. City officials say the blue economy already accounts for 5% of Barcelona’s GDP.
The 2026 to 2030 strategy is a threefold increase in public investment compared with the 2021 government measure. Officials say the sector generated €11.2 billion in business volume last year and was the third fastest-growing sector in Barcelona.
The plan includes 20 projects and broadens its focus beyond the sea to include freshwater initiatives. With droughts and floods becoming more frequent, the priorities include urban drainage systems, greywater reuse and water reservoirs as strategic infrastructure.
The roadmap is built around public-private collaboration, with projects coordinated between the City Council, the Catalan government and the Port of Barcelona. It also aims to support innovation, skilled employment and international reach across Catalonia’s coastal economy.
Several projects are already in motion. The Barcelona, Sea of Science space, run by the Institute of Marine Sciences-CSIC, will open this year at the Olympic Port, before a planned 3,000-square-metre building at Marina Dock, backed by a €30 million investment. The Maritime Technology Park, with a €60 million investment, is due to start construction this year next to the W Hotel and aims to be operational by 2028.
Other measures include BlueTechPort, which will receive €56 million, the Tomorrow Blue Economy exhibition at the Smart City World Congress, and the Blue Economy Centre, which already operates in Barcelona with €2.8 million in funding. The strategy also includes entrepreneurship programmes, access-to-finance support through Barcelona Activa’s Blue Investment Fund and the BeBlue programme, and training measures, including vocational retraining and an international Master’s degree in Blue Economy in Barcelona. Read more on Catalonia news.
