Delay in Hydroelectric Power Station Construction in Tenerife

The construction of the hydroelectric power station in Tenerife at the Badajoz ravine (Güímar) – the preferred location for the promoting company and the authorities – is delayed. The primary cause is the Supreme Court’s (TS) delay in resolving the cassation appeals filed by the convicted entrepreneurs – for offences against natural resources and the environment – against the ruling requiring them to pay €185 million in compensation for the damage caused by nearly half a century of aggregate extraction.

Supreme Court’s Involvement

The Supreme Court has been handling the appeals from entrepreneurs Antonio Plasencia and Enrique Morales, as well as the companies Áridos del Sur, SL, and Hermanos Morales Martín, SL, since 2022. The resolution of these appeals is crucial for advancing a project aimed at stabilising the energy supply in Tenerife. Its development would require two quarries formed by the aggregate extraction: those located next to the general Southern road (TF-28) and the one adjacent to the Southern motorway (TF-1).

Ongoing Legal Proceedings

On 9 April 2008, the closure of the last of the six active aggregate operations was realised: El Fregenal. On 19 January 2016, the trial against the business owners of these quarries commenced, which still, nine and a half years later, remains unresolved. This is despite the Second Section of the Provincial Court issuing a ruling on 21 January 2021 that declared “the impossibility” of restoring the area, but mandated a combined indemnity of €185 million. Payment of this amount is pending the Supreme Court’s decision.

Study Findings and Project Status

Beatriz Corredor, president of Redeia, the group to which Red Eléctrica – the company responsible for this project – belongs, stated that studies have been conducted on various locations, but all agree that Güímar is the most suitable. She made this statement in mid-March 2023. The municipal government hopes to soon learn the project’s status, although it is aware that execution will be delayed. One reason for this is the need to change the classification of the land chosen for the pumping hydroelectric station, which is currently subject to the Mining Law.

Local Government Concerns

Doubts have also arisen within the local government of Güímar. The councillor for Concessions and one of the proponents, who reported the case against the aggregate extractors, Francisco Hernández Armas, believes the elevation difference between the two quarries to be used in the station is “insufficient” to generate the required energy. In his view, the initially planned water drop from Anocheza was a more suitable solution.

Compensation Issues

Moreover, Güímar will not benefit from the €185 million in compensation to which the entrepreneurs are condemned. This is a matter that the mayor, Carmen Luisa Castro, hopes to discuss with the Government of the Canary Islands, which will receive the entirety of that sum.