The Chira-Soria pumped-storage hydroelectric plant megaproject has passed another key administrative hurdle on the southern coast of Gran Canaria. The Canary Islands Directorate General of Coasts and Maritime Management has officially granted a non-substantial modification to the authorized occupation of the public maritime-terrestrial domain for the plant's intake and discharge infrastructure. The regional government's resolution, number 51/2026, authorizes the technical changes proposed by the contractor for the development of the brine discharge and seawater intake works related to the Seawater Desalination Plant (EDAM).
The government measure directly alters the conditions established in the original concession agreement, granted on November 27, 2024, under file number 618/2024. The adjustment to the desalination plant's engineering affects coastal land located within the municipalities of Mogán and San Bartolomé de Tirajana, the critical area where the Chira Dam's civil engineering works are concentrated. The design changes, validated by regional technicians, aim to optimize the performance of the seawater intake pipes and the brine discharge pipes into the ocean, a strategic factor in mitigating the environmental impact on the marine ecosystem of the southwest region.
The sectoral opinion ratifies the physical dimensions and financial obligations that Red Eléctrica de España, SAU will assume as the sole operator of the energy facility. The protected maritime-terrestrial public domain area assigned to the desalination complex covers a total surface area of 2.829,31 square meters. The initial term of the right of use and installation is set at fifteen years, incorporating a conditional extension clause that will allow the water intake activity to be extended to a maximum of thirty years of regulated operation.
The renewal of the coastal permit entails a significant tax payment to the public coffers in the form of fees for the use of the island's coastline. Red Eléctrica de España will pay an annual fee of €72.284,43 for the entire duration of the desalination plant's operation. The signature of the regional Director General of Coastal Affairs, Antonio Manuel Acosta Felipe, provisionally validates the suitability of the works in accordance with the General Coastal Regulations, allowing the continuation of a hydroelectric project that will support energy storage and water production for the inland basins of Gran Canaria.
