Canarias has been granted £106 million by the Government to investigate its potential for high-enthalpy or deep geothermal energy, to determine if the heat emanating from dormant volcanoes can generate electricity. This marks the most significant investment the archipelago has received for deep explorations, making it the state’s prominent commitment to genuinely explore the possibilities of exploiting this renewable energy in the archipelago.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, this morning at an event held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, specifically discussing this type of clean energy. In total, Canarias has obtained 10 out of the 11 projects that the Ministry has awarded through a call from the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE).
Out of the total drilling projects, 6 will be carried out in La Palma (valued at £45 million), three in Tenerife (worth £43 million), and one in Gran Canaria (costing £15 million). These projects will be executed by various consortia (led by companies, with the participation of public entities and academics), who will have to invest half of the exploration cost. The Ministry, through the Next Generation Funds, will contribute the other half of the investment. Each project can carry out a maximum of three drillings to explore the geothermal potential of each location.
“The potential of Canarias in this energy has always been discussed, but never explored in this manner,” explains Joan Groizard, director of IDAE. Since becoming aware of the potential for clean, affordable, and easily controllable energy in its subsoil, Canarias has conducted several scientific studies, all to assess its potential.
Scientific explorations in Tenerife began in the 1950s, but the first geophysical and geochemical exploration was not carried out until 1985. Since then, all studies conducted on the island have confirmed its “great potential” to develop geothermal energy, with areas of significant interest being Vilaflor, the Arenas Negras area, and the surroundings of Las Cañadas. Studies have also been carried out in La Palma and in Lanzarote.
Canarias has gone 30 years without conducting deep geothermal
Exploration
However, only two research drillings have been conducted in search of this renewable Holy Grail. One took place in Tenerife in the Santiago del Teide area between 1990 and 1993, drilling to a depth of 1,060 meters without finding what they were looking for. Partly because they drilled in an area where the surrounding rock allowed too much rainwater infiltration. In Lanzarote, a single drill was conducted in 1977, reaching a depth of 2,700 meters. However, it also failed to find what it was seeking, as there is no hot magma below the island, only incandescent rock.
Therefore, Canarias has gone over 30 years without drilling into the ground in search of its heat. Thus far, it has not been due to lack of interest, but rather the financial burden that has hindered the possibility of carrying it out. After all, the cost of a single drilling is exorbitantly high. According to data from Ecological Transition, at least £10 million is required for a single drill in Tenerife or La Palma, and £8 million if it is in Gran Canaria.
“It is a very substantial investment, and without public support, it is very difficult to carry out,” admits Groizard, who ensures that this call enables “progress” through joint efforts. This particular call has £120 million, of which £60 million had already been allocated to Canarias. However, the projects submitted in the archipelago have secured a much greater share of the resources for this call, with only one project to be carried out in the peninsular territory, specifically in Madrid.
“This is the first time we have had a call of this kind, we had never had so many resources for geothermal energy,” acknowledges Groizard. In fact, the director of IDAE claims that this initiative “has aroused a great deal of interest from all kinds of stakeholders” and asserts that they will “closely monitor the results.” “We are confident that good drillings will be made and that we will obtain interesting results,” asserts Groizard, emphasizing that Canarias “can be optimistic.”
(to be continued)
