The company that manages the Canary Islands' electricity system, Red Eléctrica de España (REE), has begun the process of implementing a key investment that will strengthen the security and reliability of the energy supply in the southern tourist and economic hub of Gran Canaria, according to a public notice from the Canary Islands Government. With a budget of €9.232.520, REE previously requested administrative authorization and a Declaration of Public Utility for the construction of a new substation and an underground interconnection line.
The project, called 'New Barranco de Tirajana III 220 kV Substation and Barranco de Tirajana II-Barranco de Tirajana III Underground Line', underlines the operator's commitment to improving the island's transport infrastructure, vital to integrating the growing generation of renewable energy and meeting the sustained demand of the hospitality and residential sector in the region.
The new substation, planned for the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, will be a double-busbar indoor GIS (Gas Insulated Substation) type, a technology that offers greater safety, less space occupation and greater resistance to environmental conditions, a crucial aspect in a coastal environment.
Strategically, the Barranco de Tirajana III substation will be designed with a breaker-and-a-half configuration, including: Connection to the existing grid (L/Bco. Tirajana II): Ensuring redundancy and stability by including bays prepared for a "Future Line," demonstrating long-term planning geared towards demand growth or the integration of future wind and solar farms. For the connection, an 875-meter, double-circuit, 220 kV underground line is planned, guaranteeing minimal visual impact and greater protection of the cabling, in line with the environmental sensitivities of the south.
The announcement by the Ministry of Ecological Transition not only accelerates the legal implementation process. According to the Electricity Sector Law, this automatically implies the need to occupy properties or acquire rights, and the urgent occupation of the land necessary for the project (in accordance with Article 52 of the Law on Compulsory Purchase). This investment of 9,2 million euros is an indicator of confidence in the region's long-term economic prosperity and the need to modernize the energy backbone to sustain growth.
