In the labyrinth of numbers and references of the Official State Gazette, that go-to newspaper for those seeking the uncomfortable truth behind public management, an announcement appeared this Wednesday that, to the untrained eye, would seem like a simple administrative formality. The Directorate General of Energy of the Canary Islands Government has granted administrative authorization and declaration of public utility to Red Eléctrica de España (REE) for a project: the "Expansion of the San Agustín 66 kV substation and modification of the 66 kV Barranco de Tirajana – San Agustín line" in San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
Behind the technical jargon and legislative articles, much more than a mere project lies hidden. The hand of a monopoly, or almost, weaves the invisible network that fuels our lives and, at the same time, decides the energy future of a territory. And in the case of the south of the island, the dependence is almost total. File AT24/010, approved on May 27, 2024, is moving forward with the discretion that only large-scale operations can afford. The objective? Expanding a substation, burying a section of line underground. Technical matters, yes. But the key lies at the heart of the matter: the declaration of public utility and, even more so, the declaration of general interest.
Red Eléctrica, the entity that pulls the strings of the system, requested an emergency. And the Canary Islands Government, led by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, didn't hesitate. On March 5, 2025, Order No. 75/2025 declared the facilities to be in the "general interest." Whose general interest? Undoubtedly, that of guaranteeing supply, of increasing "security." But behind this cloak of the "common good" lies a reality of concentrated power and decisions made in offices, where counterbalance, criticism, and citizen participation are conspicuously absent.
The process, on paper, is impeccable. Public information, thirty days to object. Published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC), the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOP), the bulletin board of San Bartolomé de Tirajana. A perfect bureaucratic dance. The result? "No objections have been made." Did no one in southern Gran Canaria, or in the Island Council, or in the Ministry for Ecological Transition, have anything to say? Or is the mechanism so complex, the jargon so dense, and the feeling of helplessness so deep-rooted that ordinary citizens give up before even beginning? The reports, however, arrive punctually: the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council gives its "urban planning approval" without "increases in building construction," the Island Council of Gran Canaria assures that everything is "in accordance with territorial planning." Even the Ministry gives its approval. No one objects to the unstoppable march of the great manager of the electrical system.
The only discordant note, and hardly an anecdote in this concert of "yeses," is the lack of response from "Edistribución Redes Digitales, Sociedad Limitada." A silence that, in this context, is almost a shout. But, of course, the proceedings continue without their voice. The machinery doesn't stop for trifles. And this is where power becomes tangible, where the "general interest" tramples on private property. The declaration of public utility is not a mere embellishment. It implicitly entails the "need to occupy the property or acquire the affected rights" and "urgent occupation" for the purposes of compulsory expropriation.
The details are detailed in the Annex. A 1.560 m² plot owned by E-Distribución Redes Digitales (a curious coincidence, or not!), with a permanent underground easement of 72 m² and a temporary occupation of 325 m². A piece of industrial land in San Bartolomé de Tirajana that will be used by the large network. REE's justification is simple: "The resolution to declare it as a public utility is being processed, or, if appropriate, an attempt will be made to reach an agreement with the owners." An "agreement" that, with the law in hand and the "public interest" as its banner, may be more of an imposition than a negotiation.
The official text is a cascade of laws and decrees: the Electricity Sector Law, Implementing Regulations, and the Common Administrative Procedure Law. A legal tangle that shields the decision and makes it unassailable. Everything is planned, everything "legally" covered. The planning of electricity transmission infrastructure is a "binding" responsibility of the State. The Island Development Plans are required to consider these land reserves. There is no environmental impact assessment because the project, magically, does not fall within the scope of the law.
The resolution signed by Alberto Hernández Suárez, Director General of Energy, is a pristine example of how public power bows to the needs of a corporation vital to the system, in the name of "security of supply." A bureaucratic ballet where the interests of big energy capital dictate the score, and citizens either applaud in ignorance or resignedly watch the imposition of decisions "for our own good." Thus are woven the threads of power that move the unseen Gran Canaria, the one of volts and easements, the one that dictates that progress is non-negotiable.
