Évora worries Renewable Zones won’t align with island planning

The nationalist‑group deputy defended, in a parliamentary commission, the authority of the island councils (Cabildos) to order the Renewable Acceleration Zones proposed by the Canary Islands Government. She warned that these zones might not match the Island Energy Plan currently being drafted by the Cabildo, which could lead to a larger extension of areas deemed suitable for renewable projects. Instead, Natalia Évora suggested installing renewable parks on former landfills or on the roofs of public and private buildings.

Ecological Transition Committee

The Ecological Transition Committee of the Parliament of the Canary Islands examined the latest updates to the first‑phase protocols for the Renewable Acceleration Zones. Deputy Natalia Évora Soto (Canarian Nationalist Group, CCa) emphasized the need to keep investing in renewable energy “without forgetting the competence of local institutions and the particularities of each island.”

The Canary Islands Government has set a one‑year deadline to start processing the Acceleration Zones, the nationalist group said in a statement. In this context, the deputy requested information on the agreements concerning the selected locations and on the procedures required for their implementation—such as the environmental report, municipal licence, etc.—or whether these steps could be exempted.

Évora also expressed concern about what will happen to the acceleration zones once the territorial energy plans, being prepared by the Cabildos, are approved.

“It could happen that the proposed zones do not coincide, which I understand would suspend the acceleration zones,” she added.

During her intervention, Natalia Évora reiterated the need to install renewables on the surfaces of public and private buildings as well as on anthropised areas while coordinated planning with the Cabildos is completed. She suggested that former landfills—present on all islands—could be used “while specific strategies and actions are defined, always within the framework of institutional agreement.”

The Path Toward an Energetically Sustainable Canary Islands

Through Decree Law 5/2024 on Climate Change and Energy Transition, the Canary Islands Government proposes the creation of Renewable Acceleration Zones: areas designated by the regional administration to promote and facilitate renewable‑energy projects. These zones are considered “especially suitable” for such projects, with streamlined administrative procedures to obtain permits.

The concept already existed in the 2023 European RED III Directive, which is very similar to the Canarian decree. The directive requires the preparation of plans that identify renewable acceleration zones for one or more renewable‑energy sources, granting them administrative advantages.

For the deputy, it is essential that the Ministry of Ecological Transition works hand‑in‑hand with the island Cabildos on planning and zoning, as well as with municipalities that may be affected. She also stressed the importance of securing citizen support so that the acceleration zones are “as consensual as possible, reducing potential social or environmental conflicts.” Évora noted that this requirement is reflected both in the European directive and in the Canarian law.

The nationalist deputy sees the new regulation as “an opportunity to set a clear model for the Canary Islands in energy planning.” She proposed “articulating eight sectoral strategies that address priority areas for the energy transition.”

“These strategies should include self‑consumption, energy storage, sustainable mobility, efficiency and energy communities in the most consensual way possible,” Évora proposed.

In her speech, she highlighted the need to develop new storage systems and to ensure that each island has its own storage capacity, always taking into account each island’s singularities.

“For that, the Canary Islands Renewable Energy Strategy is key,” she concluded.