The PSOE will bring a motion to the next plenary session of the Tinajo City Council for the Cabildo of Lanzarote and the Government of the Canary Islands to review the map of Renewable Energy Acceleration Zones (ZAR) on the island, excluding the rural land of the municipality, especially that near protected natural spaces. The initiative advocates for implementing renewables with consensus and planning, prioritizing building rooftops and already transformed land over the occupation of agricultural vegas and unique landscapes.
"Renewables yes, but well planned, with consensus and common sense. Tinajo cannot pay with its vegas and its landscape for hasty decisions. We are not going to sacrifice the environment of Tinguatón, La Santa or Caleta de Caballo, nor to strain areas of the surroundings of the Natural Park of the Volcanoes," stated the socialist councilor, Begoña Hernández.
On August 20, the Protocol of Action between the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo to propose ZAR in Lanzarote and La Graciosa was published in the BOC. The disseminated plans include wind farm areas in the agricultural plain of Tinguatón (east and west) and spaces on the coast of Tinajo, west of La Santa and between La Santa Sport and Caleta de Caballo, which has generated social alarm in a municipality with a marked rural essence and high landscape value. "The plans contain errors that must be corrected and, furthermore, if occupying 0.23% of the island's land would be enough to meet the objectives, there is no point in allocating an area 16 times larger, dispersing projects and creating unnecessary conflicts," Hernández stressed.
As an alternative, the PSOE of Tinajo proposes “putting roofs first”: public and private roofs, parking lots, and already anthropized land. An island study estimated 8.5 million square meters of usable roof space, with a potential of up to 700 MW, three times the power of Punta Grande, avoiding emissions without occupying agricultural land or degrading the landscape. “We have the potential to produce clean energy from the roofs of schools, sports centers, warehouses, and homes, without touching a meter of agricultural land. Furthermore, we will promote local energy communities so that savings reach families, businesses, and the primary sector,” added the councilor, who also calls for publicly owned and managed facilities and the approval of the Provisional Island Ordinance for Energy Installations, drafted last term and still pending public information.
The motion to be put to a vote calls for a review of the ZAR map to exclude the rural areas of Tinajo, protect the rural landscape and natural spaces of the municipality, ensure the effective participation of the City Council and citizens in all phases—planning, design, implementation, and monitoring—and prioritize the installation of renewables on roofs, parking lots, and transformed areas, promoting energy communities that fairly distribute the benefits of the transition.
"We will extend our hand to the Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands to agree on a plan that meets decarbonization objectives and, at the same time, protects the rural identity of Tinajo. It can and must be done well," concluded Begoña Hernández.
