The Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands held the IX Renewable Energy Meeting, a working session with sector representatives to analyze the status of the archipelago's main energy projects, the execution of European funds, and new measures to accelerate the implementation of renewable energies in the Canary Islands.
During the meeting, Minister Mariano Hernández Zapata (PP) called for the continuity of these funds. This request comes despite the autonomous community having to return around 200 million euros from the Next Generation funds for not having justified their use within the established deadlines.
The Ministry of Energy has the worst budget execution within the Canary Islands Government, with only one euro spent for every four allocated. However, Zapata described the current legislature as the most productive in terms of energy for the Canary Islands, highlighting progress in renewables, energy storage, and self-consumption. "The Canary Islands cannot go from the most productive legislature in memory in energy matters to a scenario of uncertainty due to lack of funding upon the conclusion of the Next Generation funds," he stated.
Zapata emphasized the need for "continuity to complete the ongoing energy transformation." According to his data, renewable energies already account for approximately 21% of the Canary Islands' electricity mix, and self-consumption, boosted by regional aid, exceeds 3% and continues to grow.
The minister recalled that, in April, he himself admitted that the Canary Islands "throw away" 20% of the clean energy it generates. For his part, the president of the Canary Association of Renewable Energies (ACER), Jesús Matilla, supported the call for an extension of deadlines, arguing that the initial phase of managing these funds was slow and that the current Executive is making an "effort in this final sprint."
Matilla also expressed the promoters' concern regarding the progress of the Renewable Acceleration Zones and the Agrovoltaic Regulation, tools considered essential for the islands' decarbonization. The meeting also served to review the execution of the Next Generation funds managed by the Ministry, which has administered over 447 million euros in energy transition programs, processing more than 29,000 applications and granting over 24,000 grants, mobilizing nearly 477 million euros in investment.
The minister highlighted the efforts to expedite the management of these funds, often complicated by high administrative complexity, and urged beneficiaries to correctly complete pending justification processes to ensure the full utilization of European resources allocated to the Canary Islands.
The Meeting also addressed new calls for renewable energy aid with FEDER and IDAE funding, aimed at supporting projects in energy efficiency, self-consumption, storage, energy digitalization, and decarbonization for households, businesses, energy communities, municipalities, and island councils. Advances were presented on the future regulation of agri-photovoltaic systems, a pioneering initiative to combine agricultural activity with renewable energy production, promoting more efficient land use and creating new opportunities for the primary sector.
Representatives from the Government of the Canary Islands, FECAM, ACER, AEOLICAN, Endesa, Sorecan, the Canary Confederation of Employers, Femepa, Femete, Asinelte, Red Eléctrica, Gesplan, and the Canary Energy Offices participated in the meeting, where technical measures to simplify administrative procedures and accelerate strategic projects were reviewed.
