The Canary Islands Government's Directorate General of Energy confirmed to Maspalomas24H on Wednesday that it has authorized Naturgy Renovables Canarias, SLU to make a substantial but not material modification and to grant an exceptional extension of the deadline for the "El Tabaibal Wind Farm" project, a 4,7-megawatt facility located between the municipalities of Santa Lucía de Tirajana and Agüimes, in Gran Canaria. The resolution, dated in Las Palmas and signed by the head of service, Víctor M. Almeida Martín, sets the new deadline for obtaining the administrative operating authorization as December 31, 2027.
The project, which already had administrative authorization and a declaration of public utility since July 2024, now incorporates several technical adjustments. These include replacing the Enercon E-92 wind turbines with Enercon E-82 models, utilizing existing conduits to reduce the length of the evacuation lines, and relocating the control building and switching center within the same plot, in addition to installing new electrical control and low-voltage equipment.
According to the environmental report submitted by the General Directorate of Ecological Transition and the Fight against Climate Change, the modifications do not alter the impacts previously assessed in the original Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of 2018, so the project maintains the same environmental conditions and does not require a new assessment.
Naturgy also requested an extension of milestone 5, as stipulated in Article 1.1.b of Royal Decree-Law 23/2020, under Royal Decree-Law 8/2023, which allows for an extension of up to eight years to obtain final operating authorization. The company justified the request based on the decommissioning of the wind turbines initially planned and the difficulties in replacing them with others of the same technical and environmental characteristics.
The company expects the wind farm to obtain its operating authorization in the second half of 2027, expressly committing not to request provisional permits or registration in the administrative register of facilities before that date.
With this resolution, the Government of the Canary Islands is giving continuity to one of the strategic projects of the wind corridor in southeastern Gran Canaria, where Naturgy operates several facilities. The Tabaibal wind farm, with a capacity of 4,7 MW, thus contributes to the energy transition on the island, although with a longer timeline for its full implementation.
