La Palma faces new volcanic risk planning deadline

Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.

The Spanish Government has approved new civil protection regulations for volcanic risk that oblige the Canary Islands to revise their emergency plans and identify the areas of greatest danger. The measure, published last Saturday in the Official State Gazette (BOE), is of particular importance for La Palma, where the 2021 eruption exposed the vulnerability of the island’s territory and infrastructure, and where a general preventive zoning scheme has still not been established to determine which areas should be excluded or subject to restrictions on the construction of essential facilities because of their exposure to volcanic risk.

A four-year deadline to adapt plans

Order INT/1071/2026 of 7 October replaces the state guideline in force since 1996 and sets a four-year deadline for adapting civil protection plans. The document cites a 77.69% probability of at least one volcanic eruption in the Canary Islands over the next 50 years, an estimate based on the archipelago’s historical activity that equates to an average recurrence period of 33 years. This probability applies to the islands as a whole and does not make it possible to determine where or when the next eruption will occur.

The new guideline states that plans must incorporate volcanic susceptibility and hazard maps, identify the most exposed areas and assess the consequences of possible eruptions for the population, buildings and strategic infrastructure. It also requires authorities to consider scenarios involving the destruction or interruption of essential services, as well as the evacuation and supply difficulties that could arise during an emergency.

Hazard data to shape land-use planning

One of the most far-reaching aspects for La Palma is the relationship between knowledge of volcanic risk and spatial planning. The regulations expressly state that the hazard and risk analyses included in civil protection plans, once approved and certified, must be taken into account by the competent authorities in spatial planning and the regulation of land use. This provision affects decisions on the location of hospitals, main roads, ports, water infrastructure, supply networks and other strategic facilities.

The aim is to determine in advance which areas carry the greatest exposure to risk and what conditions must be taken into account before authorising new infrastructure. The guideline does not in itself introduce construction bans, but it provides the framework for such restrictions to be incorporated into planning instruments.

A delimitation still pending on La Palma

Although scientific studies and mapping exist that identify different levels of volcanic hazard on La Palma, the island has never established a general, binding delimitation in its spatial planning that specifically determines where new essential infrastructure should not be built for this reason. The issue has begun to be addressed in the amendment of La Palma’s Island Planning Plan (PIOLP), promoted by the Cabildo.

The draft submitted for public consultation this year proposes incorporating natural risks into spatial planning and envisages steering new buildings and infrastructure towards areas of lower hazard. It also notes the need to study the relocation of certain facilities, although these provisions do not yet amount to definitive zoning with planning restrictions.

Responsibility for driving this island planning forward rests with the Cabildo de La Palma, within the framework of powers shared with the Government of the Canary Islands and the town councils. The island authority is also responsible for drafting and processing its Volcanic Risk Action Plan, which must be integrated into the Canary Islands Special Plan for Civil Protection and Emergency Response to Volcanic Risk (PEVOLCA), the updating of which falls to the regional government.

The Cabildo put its new volcanic plan out for public consultation until 25 March. The document covers the organisation of evacuations, care for the population, supply resources and the recovery of essential services. However, its definitive approval has not yet been completed.

Gases, ground deformation and lingering dangers

The state regulations also place greater emphasis on volcanic gases, ground deformation, landslides and the hazards that can persist after an eruption. The situation experienced in Puerto Naos and La Bombilla, where the presence of carbon dioxide prolonged access restrictions after eruptive activity had ended, illustrates the importance of including these scenarios in planning.

The new framework allows until October 2030 to adapt civil protection plans. On La Palma, its application coincides with the need to complete island emergency planning and to make progress in incorporating volcanic risk into spatial planning. This is a task that involves not only establishing how to act in the event of a new eruption, but also identifying the areas of greatest hazard and determining which essential infrastructure may be exposed to its consequences.

Sources: BOE, Order INT/1071/2026 of 7 October; Cabildo de La Palma, processing of the volcanic plan, 27 February 2026; El Periódico de La Palma, amendment of the PIOLP, 4 July 2026.

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