The new projects, under construction for 20 days, will supply the demand of the entire island and the surplus will be exported to the rest of the islands
SAN SEBASTIAN DE LA GOMERA, June 27. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Ecoener will culminate this 2022 in La Gomera a total of five new wind farms that will not only supply the demand of the entire island with renewable wind energy, as the company’s president, Luis de Valdivia, has advanced in a presentation act of the work that has taken place this Monday in San Sebastián de La Gomera, but to dedicate the surplus to its export to other Canary Islands.
De Valdivia remarked, during an event that was attended by the president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres; the president of the Cabildo, Casimiro Curbelo, and the Government delegate, Anselmo Pestana, among other authorities, that it is a “pride” for the company to be in a “pioneer in the world” project like this, since it will not only provide self-sufficiency energy to the island but will be “exported” to part of the archipelago.
De Valdivia stressed that “it is the first time” that a project of these characteristics has taken place in the world and although it is not an initiative of the size that Ecoener usually promotes, but something smaller, they have wanted to commit to its development. “We liked the project of making an island 100% sustainable”, he indicated.
Thus, the president of the company reflected on the value of sustainability and the fight against climate change, he also highlighted the “willingness” of the Government of the Canary Islands to support this project, claiming that Ecoener is not a company that presents conflicts, On the contrary, he is always available to solve problems and help. “We are all proud of the work we are doing,” he said.
The facilities have 12 MW of power, a capacity greater than the current demand, represent an investment of 17 million euros and will allow an island of ‘La Gomera 100% sustainable’, name precisely of this project promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands and the Island Council.
The new parks in La Gomera have the capacity to supply almost 11,000 homes with renewable energy and will prevent the emission of more than 23,000 tons of Co2 into the atmosphere, a significant contribution to the total decarbonisation of the Canary Islands planned for 2040 by the regional Executive.
The wind farms -whose assembly will begin as soon as the foundations are finished- will have the latest innovations in energy efficiency and environmental protection, equipped with Enercon E-82 E4 wind turbines.
TORRES SAYS THAT IN HIS 3 YEARS OF GOVERNMENT “MORE HAS BEEN DONE THAN IN 10”
President Torres stressed that this is a “commitment to renewable energies” that has been made “in the shortest possible time, as recognized by the company itself”, which will allow La Gomera to be the “first place in the world that exports sustainable energy”. “In three years more has been done than in the last ten,” he stressed.
And it is that the island will produce 14 MW between wind and photovoltaic, “to which is added the submarine cable with the island of Tenerife”. “In the Canary Islands we are betting on clean energy and we have 302 million to invest in the coming months and years. Today is a particularly happy day because we are defending a much cleaner, more sustainable planet, with energy that also costs us less and with a model like the one in La Gomera”, remarked the Canarian president.
“There are non-debatable issues. Either you believe or you don’t believe [en las energías renovables]”, he indicated, highlighting that the islands have 466 million European funds available to make the energy transition “affordable for all”, regardless of family income. Along these lines, he maintained that the wind farms of La Gomera are ” the best example” of this policy, emphasizing that the Canary Islands are the “best place in the world” to be a “battering ram” in the defense of clean energy.
The Government delegate, Anselmo Pestana, has commented that the parks will be “a before and after” in the generation of green energy on the island and coincide with the message of the Government and the European Commission to “get out of the crisis” with cities more sustainable and a different kind of mobility.
He has valued the energy transition strategy of the islands linked to the Next Generation funds, endowed with 467 million, underlining that the production of renewable energies will double.
The president of the Cabildo de La Gomera, Casimiro Curbelo, for his part, pointed out that the project “is very important” for La Gomera and the Canary Islands in the fight against climate change and has made an “appeal” to society to realize what is at stake.
He stressed that the islands have “great power” in the sky to generate energy and was grateful to the entrepreneurs who help build the future because it does not depend only on the administrations. “Businessmen are the ones who generate wealth and employment,” he remarked.
The presentation of the works was also attended by the Minister for Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning, José Antonio Valbuena; the mayor of San Sebastián de La Gomera, Adasat Reyes, and representatives of business and social organizations on the island.
With these works on the island of La Gomera, the Galician renewable energy multinational reinforces its leading position in renewable energy in the Canary Islands, where the company has been present for 20 years.
De Valdivia underlined “the importance of the Canary Islands in the company’s asset portfolio” and pointed out that “our company is proud to be able to contribute to the 100% Sustainable La Gomera project, promoted by the Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands.”
Ecoener already has a total of 81 MW in production in the Canary Islands and plans to install another 47 MW in the coming months -including the 12 MW in La Gomera-, to reach a total of 128 MW by the end of the year.
ECOENER WILL INVEST 38.7 MILLION EUROS IN 2022 IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
Since 2020, the group’s investments in the Canary Islands amount to 85 million euros and in 2022 alone the planned investments in all the Canary facilities reach 38.7 million euros.
Ecoener, which has been listed on the Spanish Continuous Market since May 2021, carries out its activity in 10 countries in Europe, America and Africa. In America, the group is developing projects in the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Panama, among other countries, following the company’s business plan.
Currently, its portfolio of assets in Spain is made up of 7 hydroelectric plants, 13 photovoltaic plants and 9 wind farms. It plans to invest more than 212 million euros throughout 2022 -51.8 million in 2021-, of which 70.7 million correspond to projects with a date of entry into commercial operation throughout the year 2023.
