El Charco Power Plant turbine reaches end of service life
The Minister Zapata travels to the island to celebrate the non‑renewal of one of the engines
The Councillor for Ecological Transition and Energy of the Canary Islands Government, Mariano Hernández Zapata, attended the start of the dismantling of the first turbine of the El Charco thermal power plant in Puerto del Rosario. He described the event as “a historic milestone for the neighbourhood, for the municipality and for the whole island of Fuerteventura.”
“The removal of this turbine is a first firm and real step that will be followed by the definitive dismantling of the plant, thanks to the strategy pursued by this Government,” he said.
Zapata noted that the Canary Executive, in its submissions, requested the Ministry not to renew these installations—a proposal made jointly with the Puerto del Rosario City Council and the Fuerteventura Island Council.
During his visit, Hernández Zapata recalled that the closure of Las Salinas is guaranteed thanks to the outcome of a competitive bidding process, which will allow the replacement of obsolete infrastructure with more efficient facilities adapted to the current needs of the island’s electricity system.
The dismantling process has already completed its first phase, encompassing both the power unit and the alternator, with the work scheduled to finish before the end of the year.
The councillor also emphasized that, while long‑term projects to renew the island’s energy system progress, the Canary Islands Government is continuing an emergency tender aimed at “guaranteeing energy supply in Fuerteventura, especially in a context of structural power deficit affecting the island.”
Key points
- First turbine of the El Charco plant is being dismantled.
- First phase (power unit and alternator) to be completed by year‑end.
- Competitive bidding will replace outdated infrastructure with more efficient solutions.
- Emergency tender seeks to secure energy supply amid a structural power shortfall.