El Charco Power Plant Won’t Shut Down Until 2030

The state rejects all new projects to keep the Las Salinas thermal power plant operating

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge has dismissed the competitive energy tender and ruled out any expansion of equipment at the Las Salinas Power Plant. This definitive resolution confirms that the plant already has a set expiration date.

The ministry explicitly cites that the decision follows the obstacles and objections raised by the Canary Islands Government’s Department of Ecological Transition and Energy.

“Urban‑planning restrictions and impediments for the execution of the projects manifested by the Government of the Canary Islands … as well as the written objections submitted by the General Directorate of Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands have been taken into account,” the ministry stated.

Consequently, all proposals to extend the life of existing units or to invest in new units are rejected. The plant’s final generating unit is scheduled to operate until 2030, after which its engines can be dismantled as new facilities—distributed across various points of the island—come online, though no commissioning dates have been set.

PP Celebrates

The People’s Party (PP) of Fuerteventura issued a press release praising the outcome:

“We thank the work carried out by the Councillor of Ecological Transition and Energy, Mariano Hernández Zapata, whose efforts have made this historic milestone possible for our island and, especially, for the residents of El Charco.”