The Canary Islands Government has unblocked the implementation of a strategic energy storage system in southern Gran Canaria. Decree 61/2026, published this Monday, April 27, authorizes the hybridization of the Punta Tenefé wind farm with a 4,5 MWh battery infrastructure. The decision, promoted by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy, is based on the public interest in circumventing the restrictions of the current urban planning regulations in San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
The project, promoted by Marina South Beach, SL, involves an approximate investment of €593.686. The plant's technical architecture includes the installation of thirteen CATL lithium battery racks and two transformer substations with an installed capacity of 2,2 MW. This infrastructure will allow for the management of surplus energy from existing wind turbines, which have a combined capacity of 5,4 MW, stabilizing the electrical flow in an island subsystem historically vulnerable to renewable energy spillovers.
Authorities justify the urgency of the project under the declaration of an Energy Emergency in the autonomous community. The regional government emphasizes that energy storage is key to reducing dependence on fossil fuels, the generation of which in the islands is significantly more expensive than on the mainland. According to official estimates, the hybridization of Punta Tenefé will prevent the annual burning of nearly 80 tons of oil equivalent and reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by 464 tons per year.
The Gran Canaria Island Council has conditioned its approval on strict landscape integration criteria. The developer must use materials and colors that blend in with the surrounding Matorral area to minimize the visual impact on Industrial Park 11. Furthermore, the decree mandates the complete restoration of the land and the removal of access infrastructure once the plant's lifespan is over, ensuring that the technological deployment does not compromise the long-term environmental recovery of the area.
The Canary Islands Government's agreement not only legitimizes immediate construction but also mandates the modification of the affected territorial plans in their next substantial review. This administrative maneuver confirms the determination of Fernando Clavijo's cabinet to accelerate the decarbonization of the Canary Islands' economy by 2040, prioritizing energy sovereignty over bureaucratic delays in local urban planning.
