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Canary Islands to gain 26 new substations and 452 kilometres of power lines
The Canary Islands will have 26 new substation parks and 452 kilometres of new power lines under the electricity planning proposal from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco) with a 2030 horizon. The document also envisages work on most of the existing substations and the renewal of 26 kilometres of lines to increase their capacity. The aim is to reinforce the security and stability of electricity supply across the islands, improve grid access capacity for homes and industry, and make it easier to bring new renewable energy installations on stream.
Changes presented after public consultation
The Ministry presented the changes made to the proposal following the public consultation period during a meeting between the Secretary of State for Energy, Joan Groizard, and the Canary Islands Government’s Minister for Ecological Transition, Mariano Hernández Zapata. The planning includes several priority actions to reinforce the islands’ electricity networks.
Priority projects across the islands
In Tenerife, the document includes the creation of a new north-south axis and the western ring, two infrastructures designed to improve the connection and capacity of the network. Action is also planned to complete the electricity mesh of La Palma, reinforce the north-south axis of Gran Canaria and improve the connection between Tías and Playa Blanca in Lanzarote. Miteco also considers the installation of reactors and synchronous compensators a priority — equipment that helps improve the stability of island electricity systems.
Extra substations and support for distribution
The new proposal adds four additional substation parks and 26 positions on the network compared with the previous approach, with particular attention to reinforcing distribution networks. The plan expects the Canary Islands networks to be able to meet an additional demand of 0.4 gigawatts (GW), linked especially to the electrification of ports and the energy needs of homes.
Recognising the challenges of island systems
The planning also takes into account the particular characteristics of island electricity systems. According to the Ministry, regulations approved this summer establish specific reinforcements to distribution networks in island territories that exceed the national average for supply interruptions, even when they meet regulatory requirements. These measures are intended to reduce the vulnerability of island electricity systems and improve their ability to respond to increased consumption.
Gran Canaria-Fuerteventura link and Güímar pumped storage
The proposal includes infrastructure for the future electricity link between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. The planning will allow the technical work and administrative procedures needed to develop this connection to begin. The document also prepares the network to accommodate the Güímar pumped-storage hydroelectric plant in Tenerife, an installation that forms part of the actions planned to reinforce the archipelago’s electricity system. As for generation, the sizing of the networks will allow around 2.2 GW of new renewable production to be incorporated, according to the Ministry’s forecasts.
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