Youth support, solar power, coastal protection: Canary Islands plans

The Directorate-General for Youth has announced that it will fund projects for unemployed young people and young adults in the Canary Islands. Just under two million euros have been earmarked for this. Other decisions by the Canary Islands Government relate to a solar power plant in Arona, nature conservation in La Oliva and a higher education project on Gran Canaria.

Of the 32 institutions originally approved, 31 submitted their declaration of acceptance and the necessary documentation. This means that various grants can now be paid out. The decision is published in the Official Journal of the Canary Islands.

Funded organisations must submit employment contracts, social security registration forms and other supporting documents electronically by 10 November at the latest. Contracts must not exceed a duration of twelve months. Once the documents have been checked, the Directorate-General will pay the full grant in advance. Three further decisions relate to an energy project on Tenerife, a compensation area on Fuerteventura and work with students on Gran Canaria:

Arona: Solar plant may be built despite criticism

In Arona on Tenerife, Iberdrola Renovables Canarias has been granted permission to build the 4.5-megawatt «La Estrella» photovoltaic plant. The Arona local council had declared the project incompatible with its planning regulations as recently as 8 May. The reason: the plant is to be built on land designated for agricultural use. Criticism also came from the Tenerife Island Council – partly due to the earthworks involved.

The plans include 7,743 solar panels and 13 string inverters. Estimated annual output is 9,997 megawatt-hours. According to the Canary Islands Government, more than 3.4 million euros are being invested in the project, which is expected to save 6,189 tonnes of CO₂ annually. The resolution can be viewed here.

Fuerteventura: La Oliva to restore 50 hectares of coastline

The Canary Islands Government’s Ministry of Spatial Planning, Territorial Cohesion and Water and the La Oliva local council have agreed to ecologically restore the SAU-8 Costa del Faro area. The associated agreement has been in force since 17 June. Existing roads are to be removed, access to the Faro del Tostón restored, and the original terrain profile reconstructed.

This will compensate for four hectares of the Origo Mare housing development within the bird protection zone on Fuerteventura’s north coast. Within the same protection zone, 50 hectares of the same habitat type will be restored. La Oliva Town Council is responsible for preparing planning permission, securing land, site management and safety coordination. The Ministry will either carry out the work itself or put it out to tender. The agreement runs for four years and may be extended for a further four years. The regulations can be read here.

Gran Canaria: University of Las Palmas amends migration project

Changes are being made to the team and individual measures of the project «Universidad refugio: migraciones, género e inclusión». Responsibility lies not only with the political authorities but also with the Fundación Canaria Universitaria de Las Palmas. A budget of 40,000 euros has been allocated to the project. It is aimed primarily at students from migrant backgrounds in their first and second years of study.

The University of Las Palmas is investigating barriers to access and during the course of study. The aim is to produce training materials, as well as a 25-hour blended-learning course for which one ECTS credit is awarded. These credits are used across Europe to recognise the workload involved in a degree programme.

A campaign against racism within the university community is also planned. According to the data cited, more than twelve per cent of the population living in the Canary Islands is of foreign origin. On Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, the proportion stands at 20 per cent. The project amendment is documented here.