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90% of the territory of Gran Canaria will present a high or very high risk of desertification, with increasingly frequent calimas and droughts, According to the Foresta Foundation. In response to this situation, 14 years ago, the Electricity of Spain, with the support of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, initiated the construction of a project that will supply water and electricity, although not without controversy.
The initiative. El Salto de Chira It is a hydroelectric plant of reversible pumping in southwest Gran Canaria, which will use the dams of Chira and Soria. The project consists of a renewable energy storage megabattery and also wants to ensure water supply in the area.
The plant, which is still being built (40%), has a budget of 391 million euros. In addition, it has the support of the European Investment Bank and the Government of Spain.
It will be ready in 2027. The central will become a 200 MW megabattery with storage capacity of up to 18 hours, According to eldiario.es. In addition, the project includes a desalination company that will supply water to the system and allow pumping between dams, taking advantage of the excess renewable energy in low demand hours and improving the insular electrical system.
A very long management. More than a decade to claim that everything works correctly due to the technical complexity of building a reversible hydroelectric plant, as has happened in Galicia, and this is in turn linked to a desalination company, so planning and execution advance at a slower pace. On the other hand, permits and authorizations have been a long process due to environmental impact studies and public consultations. In addition, the logistics difficulty derived from the steep terrain of the island is added.
However, a neighborhood group by Barranquillo Andrés and Soria Guapil has declared In the country that 90% of the neighbors support the work for the positive impact on local agriculture and livestock. Also, the Bentorey association has recognized in the same medium the discomfort, instead they positively value the project for its impact on the water supply.
There is a rejection. In face B of the matter, various environmental organizations and technical voices have expressed their rejection. The Ecologist Turcón collective They have considered That the central is energetically inefficient, when requiring the desalination and pumping of water from the sea to high areas, which implies a high energy expenditure and a considerable environmental impact. In addition, they have criticized that it is promoted as a clean energy initiative when, in their opinion, it is rather a storage infrastructure that depends on a privatized energy model and controlled by large corporations such as Naturgy or Iberdrola.
Other controversies in the islands. Although El Hierro Island can be set as an example of the future of energy self -sufficiency through renewable energies, a couple of months ago jumped to the press that depended on diesel to meet its energy demand. Therefore, it is important that they continue to carry out energy storage projects if you want to achieve a system of renewable with intermittent energies.
Forecasts According to the province, the works They are underway with four kilometers of the planned tunnels already executed and the desalination and the completed electricity line. It is expected that, throughout 2025, water discharges will begin in the reservoirs of Chira and Soria, marking a milestone in the execution of the project.
Image | Unspash
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