The Minister for Ecological Transition asserts that “no one was deceived” and guarantees that the well-being of citizens will take precedence.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 5 December (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister for Ecological Transition and Energy of the Canary Islands Government, Mariano Hernández Zapata, has called on Thursday for the technicians of the autonomous community who are working on the environmental impact assessment of the proposed gas plant at the port of La Luz and Las Palmas to conduct their work “without constraints” and “without pressure”.
In response to inquiries from the Socialist and NC-BC groups within the parliamentary committee, he highlighted the “shift in stance” from both parties, noting that in 2019 they supported the project during a Port Authority board meeting, where it was already indicated “in the agenda” that the project would involve the generation of 70 megawatts, rather than solely storage.
“I urge that we act with seriousness, that we maintain rigour and that we communicate honestly with the public,” he remarked, recalling, for instance, how the previous Minister of Ecological Transition, José Antonio Valbuena (PSOE), attempted to expedite the project through a simplified environmental review, which was already flagged by the Public Health department.
“As that strategy proved ineffective, it subsequently transitioned to an Ordinary Environmental Assessment, which is the current stage we are at,” he commented.
He further noted that the Government of the ‘Pact of Las Flores’ filed objections to “fill the ports of the Canary Islands with power stations”, which is why he has demanded “consistency” from the legislators.
The minister emphasised, however, that throughout the processing of this project, “the health of citizens will always take priority” and that he is not seeking “scapegoats” but rather wishes to clarify actions taken thus far, while concurrently acknowledging that Gran Canaria faces an issue with electricity generation and the necessity for supply stability.
“No one was misled. It is accurate that at present it is convenient to declare that they misled me, that they trifled with my faith, my goodwill, but let’s not venture down that path, because the minutes are available; let’s simply say that we have revised our opinions, which is entirely valid,” he emphasised.
The minister also refuted NC-BC’s criticism regarding the insufficient development of renewable energy in Tenerife and announced that a pumped-storage hydroelectric project would soon be introduced, serving as a “twin sibling” to the Chira-Soria power plant in Gran Canaria.
Alicia Vanostende (PSOE) highlighted that recent European Parliament regulations from 2023 no longer require Canarian ports to supply electricity to vessels, which “diminishes” the justification for establishing the gas plant.
THERE IS NO LEGAL REQUIREMENT FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION
She also mentioned that there are “numerous adverse reports”, including one from the Gran Canaria Island Energy Council, which asserts that the actual demand from vessels is “significantly lower” than the installed capacity, thus demonstrating that “the true intention” of the promoter is to generate and sell energy. “There is no legal necessity to justify the construction of this thermal power station,” she noted.
The socialist deputy cautioned about “devastating” Public Health reports which indicate that the gases do not disperse into the ocean as suggested by the promoter, but rather flow into populated areas laden with nitrogen oxide, methane, organic compounds, volatile compounds, hydrocarbons, polycyclics, aromatics, and trace amounts of sulphur dioxide.
Yone Caraballo (NC-BC) refrained from elaborating on whose “fault” it is in the processing of this project but highlighted that the officials approving the initiative in the previous legislative term had been “misled”.
“The firm misrepresented the situation, suggesting that the primary aspect was simply a storage system for liquefied gas, allowing vessels to turn off their engines upon arrival at the port to prevent pollution, while additionally relying on the electricity from that storage system. In reality, there was also a thermal power plant associated with it, effectively an electricity generation facility,” he clarified.
He urged the minister to conduct matters “properly” and to heed the Public Health reports, as the gas plant, located “a few metres” from the La Isleta neighbourhood, will generate a “greenhouse effect” for local residents.
He also remarked that this project does not align with the model established by Gran Canaria, recognised as a “global leader” in renewable energy development, in stark contrast to Tenerife.