There in Las Palmas, where the prevailing attitude seems to be to obstruct the strategic development of the island's south, the General Directorate of Public Health has once again positioned itself as the great censor of investments. Far from limiting its work to the direct impact on citizens' health, this Directorate has taken a new and audacious step: interfering in the economic valuation of properties and the impact on the tourist area of new energy projects in southern Gran Canaria.
This is not the first time that the long arm of Public Health has interfered with the archipelago's economic roadmap. The Directorate is already infamous for having blocked the Totisa energy project in the Port of Las Palmas. This decision leaves the fourth largest port in Spain and the largest in the Mid-Atlantic in a state of extreme vulnerability, effectively blocked from future decarbonization and at the mercy of direct competition from Dakhla Atlantique in the Sahara. The veto on gas supplies in 2025, crucial for the energy transition, was an act of economic self-destruction, the authorship of which lies with the excessive zeal of these "hygienists."
The latest incident, which came to light this Tuesday, although it dates back to February 2025, directly impacts an energy developer in the south of the island. In a formal request, Public Health officials urge the company to conduct an "identification of economic and social impacts: loss of value of nearby homes and the surrounding tourist area." The question is inevitable: What does the drop in price per square meter or the decline in tourism value have to do with Public Health? The answer is simple: Nothing. Public health officials have gone rogue, and unfortunately, the Las Palmas administration seems powerless to stop them.
But the absurdity doesn't end there. They also request details on "exposure to electromagnetic fields and the perception of risk among local residents." The disproportion is obvious. Imagine one of these officials entering the electronics section of Worten in the El Tablero shopping center: at the very least, they would faint from the "exposure" to modern reality.
The hygienists' prescription further underscores their lack of control by requesting that "any other measure deemed appropriate for 'environmental protection' be taken into account." In this way, the General Directorate of Public Health not only arrogates to itself powers regarding the real estate market and risk perception, but also attempts to dictate the environmental policy of the Canary Islands, completely exceeding its mandate and once again hindering investment and development in southern Gran Canaria.
