The La Palma bid, which had gained momentum in recent months with a Spanish financial scheme of up to 1 billion euros, is now halted. Spain had presented a significant economic offer, including 400 million euros from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the CDTI, and the study of contributions of up to 300 million euros each from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Official Credit Institute (ICO).
The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, one of the main international astronomical complexes, was selected in 2016 by the TMT consortium as an alternative site to Maunakea, in Hawaii. The Hawaiian option, preferred for years, had faced strong social and cultural opposition.
The project received a new institutional boost in 2026, when the Government of the Canary Islands declared it strategic and the central government reinforced its economic proposal. The TMT, designed to be the largest optical and infrared telescope in the northern hemisphere, promised a sensitivity ten times greater than current observatories and the ability to obtain sharper images than the Hubble Space Telescope.
The installation of the TMT in La Palma would have had a significant economic impact, with projections of hundreds of jobs during the construction and operation phases, as well as substantial annual spending associated with scientific activity. These estimates, although prepared for earlier scenarios, reflected the infrastructure's potential.
The history of the bid dates back a decade, when the TMT formally selected the Roque de los Muchachos as an alternative to Maunakea. Protests in Hawaii over the cultural and religious significance of the site had stalled construction, bringing La Palma back into focus.
Finally, the confirmation from the Cabildo of La Palma ends the island's aspiration to host this telescope, which would have reinforced the Roque de los Muchachos's position as a global astronomy center for decades.
