Naturgy leads the promotion of the energy transition in the Canary Islands with the inauguration of five new photovoltaic plants in the municipality of Agüimes (Gran Canaria). The entry into operation of these facilities brings the Group’s renewable energy capacity in the region to 136 MW, which represents an annual production capacity of around 380 GWh, equivalent to the consumption of 116,000 homes.
Overall, Naturgy already operates a total of 21 facilities in the archipelago, 12 wind and 9 photovoltaic, which contribute to reducing CO2 emissions by more than 190,000 tonnes per year. The combined capacity of the renewable facilities operated by Naturgy alone accounts for around 15% of the total renewable MW currently in operation in the Canary Islands.
The five new photovoltaic plants (Gran Canaria I and II and Telde I, IV and V), inaugurated on Monday, have a total capacity of 19.5 MW and will produce 38 GWh annually, equivalent to the consumption of 11,650 homes, avoiding the annual production of 25,000 tonnes of CO2. These facilities have involved an investment of €20 million and have generated 140 direct and indirect jobs during the construction, operation and maintenance phases. In total, the five systems have a total of more than 35,900 photovoltaic modules and a service life of 25 years.
In addition to all these projects, Naturgy has a portfolio under development in the whole of the Islands with an accumulated capacity of close to 70 MW. These projects include the future installation of a hybridisation system using batteries in the town of Agüimes, with an estimated capacity of 12.9 MWh.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Canary Islands Minister for Ecological Transition and Energy, Mariano Hernández Zapata; the President of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales Méndez; and the Mayor of Agüimes, Óscar Hernández Suárez. On behalf of Naturgy, the event was attended by Jesús San Emeterio, Director of Renewable Generation Spain; Juan Ferrero, Head of Renewables Development Spain; Elisa Ferrando, Head of Engineering and Construction of Naturgy Renovables and Sergio Auffray, Delegate of Renewable Development in the Canary Islands.
In his speech, the Canary Islands Minister for Ecological Transition and Energy, Mariano Hernández Zapata, said that the installation of new renewable energy facilities in the Canary Islands is always “excellent news on our path towards decarbonisation”, given that the islands currently only have a 20% penetration of renewables.
Zapata also pointed to the need to increase this figure as soon as possible, since “we have to meet the requirements set by the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), whose objective for the Canary Islands is to reach 58% renewables penetration by 2030”. A challenge that he described as “complicated” but for which “the Executive has not stopped working, taking firm steps”.
In that regard, he highlighted the work to promote the implementation of renewables in the Islands, with actions such as the recent amendment to the Climate Change Act, which seeks to “simplify bureaucracy, provide legal certainty and speed up its implementation, as the future of the Canary Islands depends on renewable energies”. Action on energy matters is also “urgent, bearing in mind the energy emergency situation in which we find ourselves”. Regarding that, Zapata was also keen to remind everyone of the recent announcement by MITECO, which is launching the tender for the renewal of the islands’ energy groups, by means of which “we will be able to move forward and renew the islands’ generation groups, where a greater incursion of renewable energies and special attention to the cleanest offers will be sought”.
For his part, the President of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, stressed that Naturgy’s new plants “contribute to consolidating the island’s position as the leading island territory in the introduction of renewable energies in the archipelago”,adding that these additions to the system “help us to move forward on our path towards an increasingly sustainable model based on our comprehensive Ecoisland project”.
Morales also stressed that “companies know that in Gran Canaria they can count on a social and political ecosystem favourable to this kind of investment thanks to the Cabildo’s leadership and the consensus achieved to promote the energy transition”, reminding those present that the island corporation “has designed a strategy that will allow it to reach 60% penetration of clean energy by 2030, a context in which the Salto de Chira power plant will stand out as a great resource for storage and the introduction of renewables and water production for agriculture”.
The Mayor of Agüimes, Óscar Hernández, praised Naturgy’s efforts to increase its renewable energy capacity in the Canary Islands and its decision to locate these five new facilities in a municipality – Agüimes – and a region – the Southeast of Gran Canaria – that have been characterised for many years by their commitment to renewable energies, sustainability and care for the environment. Hernández stressed that the annual production of the five new photovoltaic plants installed in Agüimes is equivalent to 90% of the consumption of all households in the municipality, while Naturgy’s total production of energy from renewable sources in the Canary Islands is already equivalent to twice the annual domestic consumption of the entire Southeast region, very positive figures that give an idea of the growth that renewables are experiencing in the archipelago.
For Jesús San Emeterio, Director of Renewable Generation Spain, “Naturgy’s commitment to the development of renewables in the Canary Islands is a consolidated reality, as evidenced by our numerous projects in operation and the portfolio under construction. With all these projects, the power in operation in the Canary Islands will reach 145 MW this year”.
Commitment to Energy Transition
Naturgy has made a commitment to be one of the key players in the energy transition towards a circular and decarbonised economy model. The group allocated 90% of the investments made in 2023 to energy transition projects, with €1.730 billion spent on renewable power generation and more than €900 million on distribution networks.
Naturgy currently has an operational installed renewable generation capacity of around 6.5 GW (3.3 GW of wind power generation, 2.2 GW of hydropower generation and 1 GW of photovoltaic generation) and expects to have an installed capacity of around 8 GW in operation by the end of 2024, in addition to a number of projects totalling almost 20 GW in the pipeline, mainly located in Spain, Australia and the USA.
Moreover, Naturgy aims to be the leading company in promoting renewable gases in Spain, both in the production and distribution of biomethane in the country in the short term, and in the development of hydrogen as an energy vector that will have a significant impact on the energy mix in the medium term. The company is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunity offered by renewable gases to move towards decarbonisation and is ready to deploy significant investments and resources in this business.