The Water Consortium of Lanzarote and the Government of the Canary Islands announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have definitively unlocked the commissioning of the North Distribution Line, after the authorization of the electrical transformer center necessary for its operation.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and of the Water Consortium, Oswaldo Betancort, has expressly thanked the counselor of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water of the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Miranda, “for having stood up for the residents of Haría and defending a solution that allows guaranteeing an essential service for the residents of the municipality of Haría and for our farmers”.
The Water Consortium likewise thanks the involvement of the General Directorate of Water and the General Directorate of Industry to save the North Line project, highlighting the technical and legal work developed in close collaboration with the Consortium's technicians.
The resolution issued by the General Directorate of Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands, registered last March 30, has been decisive in authorizing the transformer center, despite the unfavorable reports issued by the Haría City Council, considering that it is an infrastructure necessary for the general interest and that it complies with current regulations, with hydraulic planning instruments also prevailing.
Five months of blockade due to an unfavorable report
The project, authorized on two occasions by the Haría City Council, in 2018 and early 2023, has been blocked for the last five months by an unfavorable municipal report regarding the commissioning of the transformation center already installed according to the project.
According to the Cabildo, "this unfavorable report prevented the Directorate General of Energy from being able to grant the definitive authorization, which caused the paralysis of the North Line for months, despite the fact that the pipeline was already completed".
This transforming center, which can now be put into operation, is for the first island institution "essential" to connect the pump responsible for impelling the water up to the highest elevations of the municipality of Haría, being a key element to guarantee the supply in adequate conditions of pressure and flow.
A key infrastructure for the north of Lanzarote
The North Line, with an investment exceeding 9 million euros, connects the system from Zonzamas to Arrieta and allows the pumping of water towards Haría, significantly improving the transport, flow, and pressure of the supply in the northern towns.
This conduction will allow not only to reinforce the urban supply, but also to improve the availability of water for the primary sector in the north of the island, historically conditioned by water limitations.
The Water Councillor of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Domingo Cejas, has highlighted that this action will allow reinforcing the supply in localities such as Arrieta, Punta Mujeres, Tabayesco, Mala or Guatiza, giving stability to an area especially sensitive to water cuts and responding to a historical demand from residents.
The unblocking of the project occurs in a context of water emergency on the island, where the execution of strategic infrastructures is fundamental to guarantee a more efficient system adapted to the needs of the population.
With this decision, the Water Consortium and the Government of the Canary Islands take a definitive step to culminate one of the most relevant actions of the island's hydraulic system and ensure supply in the north of Lanzarote.