Gran Canaria approves DISA emergency power plant for three years

The Canary Islands Government’s Directorate-General for Energy has granted DISA Generación approval for an emergency power plant with a capacity of 14.8 megawatts in the El Goro industrial estate in Telde on Gran Canaria. It granted approval for the «Planta La Garita» project on 13 October. The emergency power plant may operate for a maximum of three years and may only feed electricity into the grid when the supply is under a specific threat.

This is due to the energy emergency declared by the Canary Islands Government on 2 October 2023 because of risks to the electricity supply. According to reports from the grid operator, there is a short-term shortage of controllable generation capacity. This affects not only Gran Canaria but also Tenerife and the shared grid of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. The three-year period may be extended for as long as the special measures to ensure security of supply remain necessary.

DISA Generación applied for the licence on 5 December 2024. The company initially planned to build the plant in Salinetas. Following the relocation to the El Goro industrial estate, it submitted revised documentation in February, which now forms the basis of the licence.

Emergency power supply in Gran Canaria: eight generators in El Goro

The power output is distributed across eight motor-generators, each with a capacity of 1,880 kWe. A 16/20 MVA transformer connects the plant to the grid. The electrical equipment is housed in an annexe with a floor area of 205.16 square metres.

DISA stores the fuel in two horizontal propane tanks. Each has a capacity of 500 cubic metres. The tank area covers 737.90 square metres.

Telde: Notice sets out security, deadlines and the right to object

Before work begins, the company must provide security to cover any damage caused to third parties. It must also apply for a commissioning permit within six months of the decision being served. Director-General Alberto Hernández Suárez signed the decision. The Official Journal of the Canary Islands has published it.

The administrative process is not concluded with the decision. Those affected may lodge an appeal with the Deputy Minister for Ecological Transition, Climate Protection and Energy within one month of the decision being served.