Cabildo, Capital City Council and Government Examine the Island's Energy Situation

The Canary Islands’ Minister of Ecological Transition and Energy, Mariano Zapata, held a working meeting on Monday with Lola García, president of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, and David de Vera, mayor of Puerto del Rosario, to coordinate current actions aimed at strengthening the island’s electricity supply guarantee. Regional ministers Jessica de León and Manuel Miranda also participated.

“From the Majorera institutions we have submitted countless objections and motions for the removal of the El Charco power plant, highlighting the rejection of the Majorero society and the administrations to its current location,” said Lola García. “Therefore, coordination meetings are essential, hoping to pool efforts and take another step toward its definitive dismantling.”

Mayor David de Vera expressed strong concern and opposition to the development of new permanent energy infrastructures outside the area defined in the General Plan of Puerto del Rosario. He urged joint action among the Cabildo, the city council, and the Canary Islands Government to negotiate with the Ministry and maintain a unified approach to energy planning in the municipality.

“It is crucial to establish contacts with the beneficiaries of the energy tender to set final locations consensually, avoiding direct impact on residential zones.”

The city council has also made urbanistically viable land available for the development of these energy infrastructures.

All three bodies emphasized that the island must progress simultaneously in guaranteeing conventional supply and deploying renewable energy to meet decarbonisation targets and build a more sustainable, secure energy system in a coordinated manner.

The meeting, requested by the mayor, addressed both the competitive bidding process for new conventional generation and the emergency measures currently underway.

During the session, Minister Mariano Zapata highlighted that the Canary Islands had accumulated more than thirteen years of delay without launching a new conventional generation tender, a lag that has compromised the electric system’s response capacity on islands such as Fuerteventura, where the situation is particularly complex.

Zapata clarified that the locations contemplated in the conventional generation tender are not determined by the Canary Islands Government; they are part of a procedure driven by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge within the national competitive bidding framework.

He added that the regional executive has consistently conveyed each local administration’s urban‑planning and territorial considerations, including the rejection of any extension of the Las Salinas (El Charco) plant’s lifespan, aligning with the stance of both the Cabildo and the Puerto del Rosario city council.

The discussion also covered the ongoing emergency actions that deploy temporary generation systems to cover the island’s energy deficit, providing additional capacity while structural solutions for Fuerteventura are being developed.

Finally, the Government of the Canary Islands reaffirmed its commitment to work coordinately with all Fuerteventura administrations to advance a safer, more sustainable energy model tailored to the island’s real needs, ensuring reliable supply for the entire population.