Canary Islands push forward 1‑billion‑euro Güímar pumped‑hydro plant and wider power‑capacity programmes

Spain’s Council of Ministers has approved a more than €1 billion investment for a pumped‑hydro storage plant at Güímar in Tenerife. Red Eléctrica de España will carry out the engineering work, targeting a 200 MW capacity and about 3,200 MWh of storage—roughly a third of the island’s daily electricity demand—with operation expected by the mid‑2030s. The project is part of a broader strategy to decarbonise the Canary Islands, complementing the Salto de Chira‑Soria facility in Gran Canaria and the new Tenerife‑La Gomera interconnection.

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition has launched a second firm‑power tender for Spain’s non‑peninsular territories, allocating 820.5 MW in total and 707.5 MW specifically for the Canary Islands to meet projected 2031 needs. The contest favours new or upgraded generation units that meet strict carbon‑intensity limits and include renewable‑fuel shares.

Canary Islands Minister Mariano Hernández Zapata is seeking an extension of Next Generation EU funding to avoid losing €100 million earmarked for renewable projects. He also aims to start an offshore‑wind tender before year‑end and highlighted the Güímar plant and other storage projects as key to strengthening the archipelago’s power supply after the October 2023 energy‑emergency declaration.