The Canary Islands Government's Department of Ecological Transition and Energy, under the leadership of Minister Mariano H. Zapata, has summoned its troops to Gran Canaria. On Wednesday, July 2nd, the Hotel Elba Vecindario, in the heart of the southeast of the island, will be the headquarters for a crucial day. Crucial, yes, because the objective is to indoctrinate—pardon me, "train"—the technical staff and authorities of the municipalities of the south and the metropolitan area on the Canary Islands Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition.
Behind the rhetoric of the "fight against climate change" and "European demands," whose legitimate essence no one disputes, lies the real battle: the practical implementation of a law that not only entails obligations, but also huge amounts of money, plans, projects, and, yes, business opportunities for a few.
Councilor Zapata is clear: the initiative seeks to "provide personalized technical information" and "open direct contact channels." This means that the regional government, after having passed Law 9/2022, now needs the municipalities, the last link in the chain, to take on their part. And the south of Gran Canaria, with its thriving tourism industry and vast expanses of land, is fertile ground for the implementation of this regulation.
Municipalities such as Agüimes, Ingenio, Mogán, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Valsequillo, Vega de San Mateo, Telde, Santa Brígida, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria will be represented. They are the ones who will have to digest the law, digest it, and, most importantly, put it into practice. Deputy Minister Julieta Schallenberg (PP) will be responsible for contextualizing the changes and, undoubtedly, emphasizing the "leading role" of local authorities, especially in the area of renewable energy.
And this is where the observer's nose must be sharpened. Renewable energy, ladies and gentlemen, is not just about windmills and solar panels. It's about contracts, it's about tenders, it's about engineering, installation, and maintenance companies. It's, in short, an emerging market that will generate profits. The day's program, neat and technical, includes sessions on the current situation of climate change in the Canary Islands, the effects of the energy transition, and—most importantly—the processing of the Climate and Sustainable Energy Action Plans (CAPES). Practical examples will be presented on how to apply the new framework.
Behind the euphemisms, the PACES are instruments that will define investments, establish objectives, and, therefore, open the way to public and private financing. The Ministry invites active participation. Participation that, for the moment, is limited to receiving training. Because the grand scheme of the Ecological Transition is not just a moral imperative or a European requirement; it is, above all, a formidable business.
