The socialist deputy Marcos Bergaz has denounced this Tuesday morning the double suspension of the meeting of the Biosphere Reserve Council, where the proposal to rectify the renewable energy acceleration zone was to be analyzed. As confirmed by La Voz, the meeting has been postponed until November, but without a new firm date.
Sources from the Cabildo of Lanzarote do not confirm if the suspension has to do with the rectification of the renewable energy acceleration zones (ZAR). "460 days have passed," Bergaz recalled, since the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort (CC), and the Minister of Ecological Transition of the Government of the Canary Islands, Mariano Hernández Zapata (PP), signed the protocol for the Renewable Energy Acceleration Zone (ZAR) of Lanzarote.
However, the planning that originated the controversy continues to be published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC), with a surface area of 3,163 hectares. Despite the announcements from both institutions to revise the initial model and considerably reduce that extension, "the rectification is still pending officialization," he recalled.
Given this situation, the socialist deputy for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Marcos Bergaz, calls on the Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands to complete the review and put an end to a controversy that has been ongoing for more than a year.
"Lanzarote cannot continue waiting for a rectification that is announced but has not yet been made official, especially on such a relevant issue as the implementation of renewable energies," he states.
"More than a year after Betancort and Zapata signed the protocol, the 3,163 hectares are still there. The Cabildo announced that the surface area would be reduced to less than 200 hectares, but that reduction is still, for now, an announcement. What is published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands is the original planning," Bergaz emphasizes.
The deputy recalls that Betancort himself questioned the scope of the planning, stating that "hardly any more photovoltaic panels were being installed in Timanfaya, Playa Quemada, in the La Corona Volcano, and in 400 absurdities."
"Well, that planning that the president signed and later questioned is still published. Enough with announcements without official rectification! This soap opera must end," argues the socialist deputy.
Bergaz points out that the contemplated surface area includes suitable and conditioned areas for renewable energy projects and represents, according to the data he has, 3.75% of the island's territory, an extension equivalent to about 4,200 football fields. In contrast, he states that meeting the decarbonization objectives for 2030 would require occupying only 0.23% of Lanzarote's surface area.
"Uncertainty and legal insecurity"
The deputy laments "the uncertainty and legal insecurity" that, in his opinion, is being generated by the lack of an official rectification by the Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands, both institutions governed by Coalición Canaria and the Partido Popular.
As an example, he points to the double suspension of the Biosphere Reserve Council, where the rectification proposal announced months ago was to be analyzed.
"The citizens have the right to know at what point the negotiation is, what position the Government of the Canary Islands maintains, and when the planning will be officially corrected. We cannot continue accumulating announcements and suspended meetings while the situation remains unresolved," he states.
Bergaz recalls that the Socialist Group has defended the review of the planning and the need to reach a consensus with the town councils from the beginning. In June, they even presented a parliamentary initiative to halt the current planning, which was rejected by Coalición Canaria and the Partido Popular.
"We are committed to renewable energies, but not in any way. Lanzarote needs responsible planning, adapted to its territory, its landscape, and its singularities, and agreed upon with the municipalities. The energy transition must advance with transparency, legal certainty, and respect for the environmental values of our island," he defends.
The deputy concludes by demanding that the Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands move beyond announcements and complete the rectification: "It is not enough to announce changes. The new proposal must be processed and officially published. Until that happens, Lanzarote must not let its guard down."
Add La Voz de Lanzarote as a preferred Google source.
Stay informed with the latest current news.