The Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa expresses its "resounding rejection" of the new photovoltaic plant planned in Tías, whose file has been made public within the procedure processed by the Government of the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands Ministry committed to the Cabildo of Lanzarote to suspend the application of article 6 bis, which implies changes in deadlines and necessary documentation while the renewable energy acceleration zones (ZAR) were being processed, but it gave the green light to that project last May, disregarding its promises.
The president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, clarifies that the public information release “does not imply authorization or support for the project”. “The Government of the Canary Islands has the obligation to continue the procedure and any interested party has the right to have their application studied. When it is time to give our opinion, our position will be unfavorable because this project does not align with the energy and territorial model we defend for Lanzarote,” he states.
Betancort recalls that this same procedure already occurred with the photovoltaic plant previously planned in Mácher. The file was processed and studied, and the Cabildo formally conveyed its unfavorable position, considering that it "did not conform to the island's territorial and energy model."
For his part, the Minister of Energy, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, insists that “the Cabildo's position has been clear from the beginning and is supported by facts. We defend an orderly implementation of renewables, prioritizing roofs, infrastructure, and already transformed spaces, and minimizing the occupation of rural land.”
Jiménez recalls that the Cabildo has already expressly defended the limitation of surface area and the rejection of renewable energy development on land. “The fact that a file must continue its administrative processing does not change our position. Technical services will study it, and as happened before, we will defend the energy model that Lanzarote has defined for its territory,” he adds.
A position supported by technical decisions and criteria
The Cabildo recalls that it has already presented to the seven town councils the technical report on the Renewable Energy Acceleration Zones (ZAR), which reduces from the 3,163 hectares initially contemplated to less than 200 hectares, approximately 0.25% of the island's territory, the proposed surface area. The document prioritizes the roofs of public and private buildings, parking lots, existing infrastructure, and degraded land, minimizing the occupation of rural land.
“Lanzarote has done its homework. We have a technical proposal that shows we can advance in renewables by drastically reducing territorial occupation. Our priority is on roofs, infrastructure, already transformed spaces, and degraded land. That is the planning we are going to defend,” states Betancort.
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