A proposed private mooring-buoy field at Cala Saona in Formentera could generate an estimated €1.76 million in profit over its first ten years, according to the project's own financial study. The plan, submitted by Soluciones la Boya Ibiza S.L., would charge visiting boats between €40 and €60 per day for one of 48 proposed mooring points.

However, the Balearic Government has required the project to undergo a full, ordinary environmental impact assessment after concluding that it could have significant adverse effects on the environment. The decision, published on 10 October 2026, means the proposal cannot proceed through the simpler environmental assessment procedure.

The ruling is not a final rejection of the entire project. The company must now prepare a comprehensive environmental impact study, which will be subject to public consultation for at least 30 days, alongside a further round of consultations with public authorities and interested organisations.

48 Mooring Points Across 28.61 Hectares

The project proposes 48 mooring points in two separate areas of Cala Saona, covering a combined 28.61 hectares.

The moorings would accommodate boats measuring between 10 and 20 metres in length, with the proposed allocation as follows:

• 13 moorings for boats up to 10 metres.

• 31 moorings for boats up to 15 metres.

• Four moorings for boats up to 20 metres.

The first area would cover 6.84 hectares and accommodate nine boats. The second would cover 21.77 hectares, with capacity for 39 vessels.

The company proposes Manta Ray anchoring systems driven into the sandy seabed instead of conventional concrete anchor blocks. The project argues that this approach would reduce the need for heavy structures resting on the seabed.

The proposed installation would be located entirely within protected marine areas, including the Cala Saona Marine Area Special Area of Conservation, the Special Protection Area for the marine environment of Formentera and southern Ibiza, and the Freus of Ibiza and Formentera Marine Reserve.

What Would Boats Pay to Use the Moorings?

The applicant's financial study sets out approximate daily tariffs based on vessel length:

The financial model calculates revenue using an assumed operating period of 180 days a year and an occupancy rate of 75%. On that basis, the project forecasts €311,850 in annual revenue.

The estimated first-year benefit is €160,909.66, rising to €192,301.94 in the tenth year under an assumed annual increase of 2%. Across the first decade, the model projects a cumulative benefit of €1,761,915.88.

These figures are projections prepared for the applicant's business plan. They are not evidence of actual earnings, and they depend on the assumed prices, occupancy, operating days and expenses.

The study also estimates initial investment in the mooring equipment at approximately €137,605. Its operating costs include staff, storage and wintering facilities, and office rental. The proposed staffing arrangements provide for up to four people between April and October, with different duties for maintenance, collecting payments, and installing and removing the visible equipment.

A Seasonal Operation with Anchors Left on the Seabed

The project describes the visible mooring installation as seasonal, operating from May to September, a period of approximately 150 days.

However, the financial model calculates revenue using 180 operating days, creating a difference between the described season and the period used for the business forecast.

There is also a distinction between the equipment that would be removed and the parts that would remain in place. According to the proposed installation and dismantling arrangements, mooring lines, shock absorbers and surface buoys would be removed at the end of the season. The Manta Ray anchors would remain embedded in the seabed, marked by submerged buoys so the installation could be reassembled the following year.

That detail is relevant to the environmental review because the visible seasonal equipment would disappear, but the seabed anchor points would remain in place between seasons.

The project also refers to a possible concession lasting up to 50 years in an appendix, while its financial forecast covers the first ten years and another appendix models a 25-year useful life for the installation. Those different time frames are part of the proposal's documentation and should not be interpreted as an already granted concession.

The Company's Argument: Organise Anchorage in a Crowded Bay

The promoter argues that uncontrolled anchoring has become a problem in Cala Saona. Its project document claims that more than 110 boats can be found anchored in the bay on some summer days, contributing to navigational risks and damage to the seabed.

The company says its 48-buoy field would reduce the number of boats anchoring in the area by more than half, while providing designated positions and a more organised arrangement.

The proposal also includes channels for navigation and specified distances from the beach and rocky areas. The developer argues that the moorings would help manage the existing pressure from recreational boating rather than leave boats anchoring without an organised system.

However, the project's environmental assessment has challenged whether concentrating boats in a designated field would resolve the wider problem. The environmental authority concluded that the proposal could concentrate pressure in one area and displace anchoring activity towards neighbouring seagrass meadows or other protected sites.

The project documentation does not clearly establish whether boats that do not pay for one of the proposed moorings would be prohibited from anchoring independently elsewhere in the bay.

Why the Environmental Authority Has Required a Full Assessment

The environmental authority concluded that the project could have significant adverse environmental effects, requiring an ordinary environmental impact assessment rather than the simplified procedure initially sought.

Two administrations had already issued unfavourable reports. Formentera's Environment Department argued that the project did not provide a comprehensive solution to anchoring across the island and could amount to privatising anchorage in the Punta Rasa, Cala Saona and Caló d'en Trui area. The Balearic Government's Directorate-General for Natural Environment and Forest Management also reported against the project, citing potential effects on habitats and species protected under the Natura 2000 network.

The State Directorate-General for Coast and Sea issued a compatibility report that was favourable subject to conditions, including a prior underwater survey to detect the possible presence of the endangered pen shell (Pinna nobilis). That conditional report did not remove the need for the wider environmental assessment or override the concerns raised by the other environmental authorities.

Protected marine habitats and wildlife

The full environmental assessment will need to address several issues identified in the official resolution:

• Seagrass meadows: The protected area contains habitats including Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa. The authority warned that concentrating boats in one area could displace anchoring pressure towards nearby sensitive seabeds.

• Balearic shearwater: The marine protected area supports important breeding populations of the Balearic shearwater, a species classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The authority rejected the developer's assessment that impacts on birdlife would be irrelevant.

• Pen shell: The authority said the project documentation had not adequately considered the possible presence of Pinna nobilis in nearby seagrass meadows.

• Traditional fishing: Cala Saona is a traditional fishing ground for raors and gerrets. Fixed anchors could interfere with fishing gear and activities permitted within the protected area.

• Long-term management: The environmental authority also identified gaps concerning the project's dismantling phase and the effects of future repairs or replacement of deteriorated mooring systems.

The authority's decision does not establish that environmental damage has already occurred. Instead, it concludes that the potential effects have not been assessed sufficiently to allow the project to continue under the simplified procedure.

What Happens Next?

Soluciones la Boya Ibiza S.L. must now prepare a full environmental impact study addressing the issues raised in the official resolution and the reports from the consulted administrations.

The next stage requires the project and environmental study to be made available for public information for at least 30 days, with further consultations involving relevant administrations and interested parties, including environmental organisations.

The final outcome will depend on the expanded assessment and the remaining approvals required for the project. The current decision is a significant procedural setback for the proposed private mooring field, but it is not a final authorisation decision or a permanent ban.

For Formentera, the case raises broader questions about how recreational anchoring should be managed in sensitive marine areas, who should operate any designated moorings, and how environmental protection should be balanced against the demand for boat access during the summer season.

The project's projected €1.76 million benefit over ten years may be a key part of the business case, but the immediate question is whether the proposal can satisfy the environmental requirements governing Cala Saona's protected waters.