Lorraine Williamson
The Minister of Economy and Industry of the Regional Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Domínguez, has announced that the public tenders for the study of the geothermal energy resources of the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma have been completed.
This is a “crucial step” to promote the Canary Islands’ own energy resources, using renewable energy sources,” the minister said. The tenders had been running since the beginning of 2023.
Haven’t started drilling yet
In the plenary session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, the minister explained why drilling has not yet started. This was not yet possible because of the conditions of the tenders drawn up by the previous government. Consequently, these had to be changed first.
“In September 2023, we received a report from the Public Prosecutor’s Office that considered the rules, as they were drafted, infringed on the powers of the state. This was because many of the mining blocks included in the tender were located in the sea. Regulation of this lies with the national government.
Conflict prevention
In order to avoid a conflict of jurisdiction between the state and the Canary Islands, he said, the Directorate-General for Industry had to change the competition rules and exclude the mining squares that are wholly or partly located in the sea. This led to a new deadline for the submission of applications and the giving of legal certainty to companies. In this way, it was “avoided that a problem of competence would arise that could reach the Constitutional Court and make the procedure even longer”.
Decarbonisation
Domínguez assured that with the completion of these tenders, another step has been taken towards the decarbonisation of the islands. Putting a stop to a problem that had been dragging on since 2023. The €103 million for research into geothermal energy on the islands has also been secured.
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