Construction advances on DISA and Sampol emergency power plants in La Herradura
Sampol and DISA Generación are carrying out the installations, the Canary executive explained, as provisional measures following the declaration of an energy emergency in Fuerteventura. Together the plants provide 33 MW, covering 60 % of the deficit estimated by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition.
The Department of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Canary Islands Government highlighted the positive aspects of the two new thermal power plants whose construction has already begun in the La Herradura area, on the outskirts of Puerto del Rosario.
Sampol Canarias and DISA Generación are the companies executing the facilities, enabled under the extraordinary measures adopted after the energy emergency declaration in the Canary Islands.
According to a statement from the Department, and taking advantage of the area minister’s visit, the infrastructures are provisional and are designed to be activated only in genuine risk situations for the electricity supply. Their purpose is to reinforce the security of Fuerteventura’s power system while longer‑term structural solutions are developed.
“These installations respond to an urgent need: guaranteeing supply security on an island that has a structural generation deficit, and doing so while we advance definitive, more sustainable solutions,” said Mariano Hernández Zapata after his visit to the works on Thursday, 14 May.
33 MW of Emergency Power for Fuerteventura
Combined, the two plants will add up to 33 MW of capacity to the island’s grid, which the Canary Government says represents roughly 60 % of Fuerteventura’s current energy deficit (estimated at about 50 MW).
Sampol’s plant will have a total capacity of 18 MW. It is a temporary installation with an expected lifespan of three years, comprising ten generator sets that can respond quickly to possible grid incidents. Approximately 50 professionals, mainly from local Fuerteventura companies, are expected to take part in its construction.
DISA Generación’s plant will provide 15 MW, distributed across eight propane‑gas generators. Around 55 local workers are involved in the construction phase. Once operational, DISA expects to create 5–10 direct jobs for operation and maintenance.
Both facilities are designed for rapid assembly and disassembly, in line with their provisional nature, and will be connected to the island’s grid through the Puerto del Rosario substation. The Department asserts that they meet environmental and safety standards and form part of the ongoing response to the energy emergency.
Institutional Visit
During a site visit, Councillor Mariano Hernández Zapata was accompanied by Energy Director Alberto Hernández, Puerto del Rosario Energy Councilor Luis Chacón, Sampol Canarias Director Ibrahim Pérez, and DISA Generación Project Execution Manager Francisco Plata.
“These plants are not the final solution, but they are an essential response to prevent risk situations while the structural infrastructure that the Canary Islands need is being developed,” Zapata affirmed.
He added that the Ministry is already working on facilities resulting from the national competitive tender and placed the emergency plants within a broader plan that includes new infrastructure, the decommissioning of the El Charco plant, and the promotion of renewable energy.