Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.
Blackout halts desalination plants in Lanzarote and La Graciosa
The desalination plants of Lanzarote and La Graciosa remain out of action following the blackout recorded at around 05.45 this Saturday, which has temporarily interrupted the production of drinking water and may cause cuts, drops in pressure and other disruptions at various points across both islands.
The public company Aguas de Lanzarote y La Graciosa has reported that its teams are carrying out manoeuvres on the distribution network to preserve available reserves and manage stored resources while production capacity is restored.
The company has warned that, throughout this Saturday, temporary suspensions of the water supply, drops in pressure or other disruptions may occur in different localities of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
Power restored but water production not yet back to normal
The restoration of the electricity supply, already fully re-established in Lanzarote, does not mean an immediate resumption of water production, since the desalination plants must complete their start-up and stabilisation processes before recovering their usual capacity.
The incident once again turns the spotlight on the state of the water infrastructure in Lanzarote and La Graciosa. As Canarias Ahora reported a few months ago, a technical-administrative report by the Water Consortium warned of a serious, objective, ongoing and structural situation in the system, highlighting among other problems the precarious state of production at the desalination plants and the lack of margin to respond to further incidents.
The document warned that the Janubio desalination plant was operating at 66% of its capacity because of a breakdown, and flagged the repeated stoppages at the Díaz Rijo desalination plant.
Emergency response and calls for responsible water use
Against this backdrop, the blackout recorded this Saturday has forced the desalination plants of Lanzarote and La Graciosa to be shut down, temporarily interrupting the production of drinking water. In the current scenario, Aguas de Lanzarote y La Graciosa is working to restore production and return supply to normal as soon as possible, prioritising the conservation of available reserves.
The public company has also noted that the schedule of programmed suspensions for this Saturday may not reflect all the disruptions that ultimately occur, due to the evolving manoeuvres being carried out on the distribution network. For this reason, it has recommended that the public use water responsibly and avoid non-essential consumption while the situation persists.
The blackout began at 05.44 on the 66 kV electricity network of the Mácher substation, in the municipality of Tías, initially interrupting the electricity supply to some 51,703 customers. During the restoration manoeuvres, barely four minutes later, a further incident occurred at the San Bartolomé and Punta Grande substations, causing a loss of generation and widening the impact to approximately 73,600 customers.
The Playa Blanca area was spared from the blackout, as it maintained its electricity supply thanks to its connection with the island of Fuerteventura. Endesa began manoeuvres to progressively restore the electricity system and, according to sources at the island council, the supply in Lanzarote has now been fully restored.
In response to the incident, the General Directorate of Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands declared a pre-alert situation under the Territorial Emergency Plan for Civil Protection of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (PLATECA) at 07.15, with the aim of monitoring the evolution of the blackout, strengthening coordination between the authorities and assessing possible effects on essential services.
Although the electricity supply has now been recovered, the consequences for water production and distribution may last throughout the day, until the desalination plants complete their start-up and return to their usual capacity.
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