Zapata: Las Salinas plant now has an expiry date and will be dismantled

Mariano H. Zapata, the Canary Islands Government’s Minister of Ecological Transition and Energy, took part in a forum in Fuerteventura on Thursday. He highlighted the progress made in tackling long‑standing structural problems that have plagued the island for decades, especially in the fields of energy and waste management.

“We are here in Fuerteventura to talk about the future, but also to explain how we have been solving historic problems that the island has endured for far too long,” Zapata said, stressing that the regional executive has focused on meeting the real demands of the territory and turning them into concrete actions.

Energy sector

Zapata announced that the island is very close to fulfilling one of its main historic demands:

“As of today, the Las Salinas power plant already has an expiration date and will be dismantled as the new units awarded in the long‑term conventional generation tender become operational elsewhere.”

He explained that this breakthrough came after unlocking a procedure that had been stalled for more than thirteen years.

“We have worked from day one with a clear objective, and today we can say we are very close to permanently closing the El Charco plant.”

In March, the government formally informed the Ministry that no repowering of the facility would be authorized, effectively closing the door on a situation the island has been demanding to resolve for years, and reiterated this stance during the appeal phase of the provisional resolution to ensure the best outcome for the Canary Islands’ energy future.

Waste management

Another central theme of the meeting was waste management, which Zapata described as “a historic demand of Fuerteventura.” He highlighted the unblocking of the Zurita Environmental Complex after more than a decade of administrative paralysis.

“We have secured a €17 million investment that will improve sorting, recycling, and the treatment of the organic fraction, laying the foundations for a modern and sustainable waste‑management system,” he said.

Zapata acknowledged that the process is complex but emphasized that thanks to the work carried out, Zurita is now a reality and becomes a key pillar for moving the island toward greater sustainability.

Closing remarks

“In short, we are talking about caring for this island, its problems, and its demands. We know the solutions are not simple, but we have shown that we care, we act, and, because of that, we can now come to Fuerteventura and present tangible results such as the progressive closure of a historic power plant and the definitive unlocking of a crucial infrastructure like Zurita,” Zapata concluded.