SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 21st Nov (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of the Canary Islands has conclusively finalised all public tenders for the exploration of geothermal resources within the Canary Islands that had been awaiting resolution since the beginning of 2023. This follows the announcement made on Thursday in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC) regarding the awarding of contracts on the island of La Palma.
Consequently, the Ministry of Economy, Industry, Commerce and the Self-Employed has already allocated geothermal research projects to several companies across a number of initiatives on the islands of La Palma, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria.
The Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economy, Industry, Commerce and the Self-Employed, Manuel Domínguez, highlighted in a statement that, with the publication of this most recent award, “an ongoing issue that has been unresolved since 2023 is finally addressed and a significant step is taken to enhance the energy resources of the Canary Islands by harnessing renewable energy sources.”
The minister elaborated that the delay in commencing the polls was due to the necessity of amending the terms of the contests set by the previous Government.
“In September 2023, we received a report from the State Attorney’s Office asserting that the original terms encroached upon State powers, as several mining grids included in the contest were located in the sea, which falls under state jurisdiction. They requested that we exclude these areas,” he specified.
Following the receipt of this report and to avert a jurisdictional conflict between the State and the Autonomous Community, the General Directorate of Industry was compelled to revise the competition rules by omitting the mining grids that were predominantly or entirely situated in the sea.
“We had to reopen the application window to provide legal clarity for companies, thus sidestepping any jurisdictional complications that could escalate to the Constitutional Court and further prolong the process,” he conveyed in a statement.
For La Palma, the exploration of 837 grids is awarded to six companies with a total of thirteen proposals: Repsol Exploración, Energía Geotérmica de Canarias, Geotermia La Palma, Tajogaite Energía, Sodepal, and Sodescan 2000.
Regarding their location, the permits predominantly cover the southern half of the island.
Tenerife has 516 mining grids that have been allocated to two companies: Energía Geotérmica de Canarias, SL (DISA) and Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables de Tenerife (ITER). In Gran Canaria, a total of 182 mining grids have been assigned to the proposals of the Gran Canaria Island Energy Council.
AN “OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FUTURE”
Domínguez emphasised the “technical excellence” of the proposed projects and affirmed that with the resolution of these competitions “another step is taken towards the decarbonisation of the islands, resolving an issue that has been stagnant since 2023 at the last moment.”
The Government asserts that research into geothermal energy “represents a significant future opportunity for the Canary Islands,” with a total of 106 million euros allocated by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE).
Specifically, Tenerife has received 43.2 million euros, Gran Canaria is allocated 15 million euros, and La Palma is set to benefit from 48 million euros.
