The PSOE of Lanzarote demands the Cabildo to stop renewables: "It gives the natural landscape to energy companies"

The PSOE of Lanzarote has demanded that Oswaldo Betancort halt the Renewable Energy Acceleration Zones planned for the island, a delimitation that threatens more than 3,100 hectares of the island's territory and which, according to the socialists, represents "a handover of Lanzarote's natural landscape to the interests of large energy companies".

The general secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote and deputy in Congress, María Dolores Corujo, has denounced that the president of the Cabildo "has compromised the rural land, the landscape, and the territorial identity of Lanzarote with a decision that could mark the island's territorial future".

"Oswaldo Betancort has handed over Lanzarote's natural landscape to energy companies. He signed a delimitation that puts more than 3,100 hectares of the island at risk and is now trying to hide his responsibility behind the Government of the Canary Islands," Corujo stated.

Furthermore, she indicated the "double discourse" maintained by Betancort in relation to the ZARs. "It is incomprehensible that someone who participated in and endorsed this delimitation now pretends to present himself as its main critic. One cannot sign a proposal that affects thousands of hectares and then, when social rejection arises, try to distance oneself from its consequences," she added.

According to Corujo, the president of the Cabildo "has tried to shift all responsibility to the Government of the Canary Islands, when he himself backed the document in the process of defining these zones." For the PSOE, this contradiction demonstrates "a lack of coherence and leadership" on an issue that directly affects Lanzarote's territorial and landscape model.

Corujo recalled that the PSOE has been warning for months about the risks of these zones due to their potential impact on the territory and called for more rigorous and consensual planning.

"Lanzarote needs clean energy, but it needs it in an orderly manner, with common sense, and with absolute respect for its landscape. The energy transition must serve to protect the island's future, not to open new business opportunities on rural land and areas of high environmental value," she affirmed.

First roofs, infrastructure, and degraded land

Corujo insisted that renewables must be implemented by prioritizing roofs, existing infrastructure, degraded land, anthropized areas, and self-consumption formulas that allow progress towards a cleaner energy model without sacrificing the territory.

“What we demand is common sense, planning, and respect. Before occupying rustic land, before marking thousands of hectares on a map, we must listen to the town councils, environmental groups, affected sectors, and citizens,” he indicated.

“Our landscape is part of our identity, our economy, our collective memory, and our way of life. No government has the right to compromise it without transparency and consensus,” defended María Dolores Corujo.

The PSOE of Lanzarote has called on Betancort to immediately demand the review of the ZARs planned for the island, to guarantee the effective protection of the landscape, and to promote a serious, participatory island energy strategy compatible with the natural and cultural values of Lanzarote.