The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands intends to promote, through a public tender, mining prospecting for research to find sources of sustainable and clean energy in the subsoil of Tenerife. It is about trying to obtain it from geothermal energy; that is to say, of the heat inside the earth. To this end, it has opened a process, embodied in an Order issued on January 2 and published on January 13 in the Official State Gazette (BOE), to grant licenses to those companies interested in undertaking drilling that allow, in the event if successful, rely less on traditional polluting fossil fuels and thus contribute to the decarbonization process.
“The objective is to obtain high-enthalpy geothermal energy, which is of the highest quality,” says the general director of Industry, Yolanda Luaces. High enthalpy energy is what a geothermal resource takes advantage of under certain conditions of pressure and high temperature – greater than 150 degrees Celsius. The use of this resource can be done directly if the geological and physical conditions occur naturally. Luaces explains that “the objective is to seek and find that source of heat capable of being transformed into energy, if it existed inside the Island, in order to depend less on fossil fuels.”
3,089
grids
- A total of 3,089 squares that are distributed over the surface of the Island make up the area where it is possible to carry out prospecting work.
The licenses granted in their day to drill have already expired and it is about opening a period to find out about new offers. Some companies have been working in this field for decades and different research studies have tried to discover possible secrets under the island’s surface. For the moment without success.
It cannot be pierced at any point. Grids have been established on the ground for this. In total, 3,089 in an area of 1,035 square kilometers. Approximately half of the island. Protected areas such as the area around the Teidein a good part of the extension of the National Park, and the rural parks of Anaga and Teno.
The intention is to reinvigorate research in this field. First in Tenerife and soon, in a second moment, also in La Palma. La Isla Bonita has occupied land with exploration permits that have already expired, for which reason the Ministry will soon call a tender for new projects.
1,035
square kilometers
- The total extension of the Island of Tenerife is 2,034 square kilometers. Of these, in approximately half, 1,035, distributed unevenly, drilling is allowed.
The Government of the Canary Islands commitment to the development of energy sources that reduce dependence on resources from abroad. Politics priority within the field of energy and environmental sustainability.
In addition, various exploration and research activities for high-energy geothermal resources have been carried out in Tenerife for decades, covered by various permits granted by the General Directorate of Industry and in accordance with the provisions of the current Mining Law,
This last legislative text establishes that once a permit has expired, whether for exploration or research, it is necessary to call a public tender to grant new ones on the surface occupied by the cancelled.
The new projects must have an intensity in accordance with the level of knowledge of the mining resource that already exists and prioritize the most modern geomining research techniques and those that best adapt to the characteristics of the Island.
It should be noted that in Canary Islands Geothermal studies have been carried out since the 1970s, especially on the islands with the greatest potential due to their activity, such as Tenerife and La Palma.
