In his second cycle as president of the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife –he was already at the head of this organization between August 2018 and September 2019–, Pedro Suárez reveals some of the actions that will be carried out in the year that is about to start. “The port is closer than ever to the daily lives of citizens,” says the PP politician.
What requests are in the letter from the Port Authority to the Three Wise Men?
One of the gifts was already advanced to us with the Christmas Concert… It didn’t upset anyone and the television production was brilliant; It gave us a lot of visibility.
Anything more tangible linked to your management?
There are many things, but the most important is to preserve or even improve the inter-institutional harmony that exists between the Port Authority and the different public administrations. The case of the Valleseco puddleswhich we are going to inaugurate shortly, is an example of good connection… The Port Authority, the Cabildo, the City Council and the Government of the Canary Islands have pitched in there. The immediate objective is to involve the State in the next projects.
Some clue?
We want to relaunch another phase of the Puerto-Ciudad building. The project [el diseño lleva la firma del estudio de arquitectura suizo de Herzog & De Meuron] is already executed in the first phase that goes into the Spain Square, but we have to undertake the growth of the building towards the sea. It is the most important port-city union project that will be developed in the Archipelago in the coming years. This integration is along the lines of what was done in 1992 in Barcelona (Maremagnum) or more recently in Malaga. The idea is to convene all the institutions shortly to determine what we want and what the financial contributions will be to launch a new attack on this infrastructure.
“Granadilla is going to position itself in the short term as the energy hub of the mid-Atlantic.”
For Granadilla, do we ask something from their eastern majesties?
For Granadilla you always have to ask for more. There is a conviction that there will be the hub mid-Atlantic energy. There are already many concessions closed to be installed in an infrastructure that will offer green hydrogen, liquefied natural gas, Petrocan services [filial de Cepsa]…In addition to the cycle changes that Endesa will face, an offshore wind project will be undertaken in the short term.
Is that an immediate desire?
Yes, in the short term… Activity in the Port of Granadilla has increased in recent months this year with the unloading and depositing of wind turbines made in China that are going to be installed in Africa: this first order has been transferred on smaller ships to Laayoune (Occidental Sahara).
Without abandoning the south of Tenerife, what solution can we give to the collapse that is created in Los Cristianos?
The Port of Los Cristianos has specific maneuverability problems at certain peaks of the year, especially in the summer season. [junio, julio y agosto] and on Christmas dates. The collapse occurs at the highway accesses (TF-1) to the dock and vice versa because you have to cross urban roads that cause a major traffic jam.. Right now there is open communication between the Port Authority, the Cabildo and the Arona City Council to fix the problem: the decongestion of Los Cristianos is possible with the creation of new roads with the TF-1. What we are going to develop are works that allow us to gain space in everything that has to do with the operation of the port.
Is Fonsalía paralyzed?
Right now it is not in our heads, despite the fact that I initially defended that it was an alternative to Los Cristianos. With what we have, I believe that an agreement between the administrations to act on the infrastructure of Arona is more urgent… The truth is that thanks to this debate, proposals have emerged to improve the road connections in Los Cristianos. Let’s fix what we have and we’ll see what happens in the future with Fonsalía!
Back in the capital of Tenerife, the city has won an urban beach in Valleseco this year.
Recovering that part of the city front as a bathing area is a relevant fact, but that is still the tip of the iceberg of what is to come: the port-city union will make SantaCruz a benchmark in the Canary Islands and, therefore, we must work in that direction. In the first months of management we have recovered the port-city commissions, which are not only of great importance for Tenerife but also for La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, although in this last island the capital is not directly linked to the first line port. Opening this dialogue is essential to know how we can integrate citizens with the spaces that we have reclaimed from the sea. If you have not given a divorce As such, at some point I have perceived a cooling in the relationship between the people of Santa Cruz and their port. Fortunately, we are taking the appropriate steps to restore that friendship.
What room for improvement remains in cruise activity?
There is a lot of room to grow, not in the winter cruise market because that is consolidated, in the summer season. It has recently been established Mid-Atlantic Cruise Association [Canarias, Madeira, Azores y Cabo Verde] to enhance this activity in the Macaronesian region. The main objective is to promote these routes around the world. The Archipelago is a leader in connectivity [conexiones aeroportuarias y portuarias] and it must make the most of all the strategies that allow it to continue adding tourists.
“The decongestion of Los Cristianos is possible with the creation of new roads with the TF-1”
Is there something in the royal letter that he hasn’t told us yet?
I still cannot say much, but in a very short period of time we will have good news related to naval repair in Tenerife.
Another push for Granadilla?
Not only for the Port of Granadilla, but for the entire Island because a part of these infrastructures are going to be in the capital and will surely position Santa Cruz as a new reference in ship maintenance tasks. We are in an optimal moment to think that the port is closer than ever to the daily lives of Tenerife residents who want to enjoy our coastline.