The Ministry for Ecological Transition has approved 95 new megawatts for the electrical system of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, as part of a state tender for 820.5 MW. The measure aims to cover the projected demand for 2031.
The Canary archipelago strengthens its electrical grid with an additional 95 megawatts for the Lanzarote-Fuerteventura system, according to the firm power tender launched by MITECO. The call, which totals 820.5 MW for non-peninsular territories, responds to the estimated economic growth for the next decade.
Distribution of power by islands
The distribution leaves Gran Canaria as the most benefited, with 320 MW, followed by Tenerife-La Gomera (230.5 MW) and the eastern system (95 MW). La Palma will receive 52 MW; El Hierro, 10 MW; and the Balearic Islands, 80 MW. Ceuta and Melilla will receive 1 and 32 MW respectively.
The Secretary of State for Energy, Joan Groizard, explained that the tender is based on an analysis by the Electrical Network that identifies the need for additional power across all islands by 2031.
“We continue to deepen the ecological transition beyond peninsular Spain,” Groizard stated after meeting with the island energy sector.
Selection criteria and deadlines
New manageable generation groups, investments in existing facilities, and extensions of useful life will be able to participate. Projects will be selected based on technical and economic criteria, with an emissions limit of 550 grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour. In the Canaries, groups older than 40 years by 2031 will be penalised, and a minimum of 5% renewable fuel will be required if available.
Interested parties can submit objections until 5 August. Additionally, MITECO has opened a hearing for a royal decree regulating electric storage, with the objection period ending on 4 August.
Storage and renewable pricing
The new regulation seeks to provide flexibility to the system and will publish for the first time the average marginal price of generation in the Canaries. This will allow storage to compete with fossil fuel plants. The reform also proposes adopting the average price of the peninsular market from the last mobile year to compensate renewable generation, instead of the current daily price, to provide revenue predictability.
For the reader in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, this extra power represents a guarantee of supply in light of the islands' tourist and demographic growth. The tender adds to other decarbonisation measures, such as the hybridisation of renewables with storage, which are already being implemented in the archipelago.
The next step will be the resolution of the tender, expected by the end of the year, and the subsequent construction of the new facilities, which must be operational before 2031.
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