The Gáldar City Council has taken a decisive step in its energy strategy by obtaining the final authorization to install the third wind turbine of the Botija-Gáldar wind farmWith this expansion, the complex located in the Los Llanos de Botija area consolidates its position as the first wind farm wholly owned by the municipality in the Canary Islands, a model that is unusual in the Spanish electricity sector.
The green light from the Canary Islands Government comes after a long administrative process started in 2022 This allows for the completion of the second phase of the project. The new turbine will join the two already operational turbines, increasing the municipality's renewable energy capacity and reinforcing the local commitment to sustainability, decarbonization, and energy sovereignty in northern Gran Canaria.
A 100% municipal wind farm that is gaining power
The authorization is formalized through the Decree 50/2026 of the Government of the Canary IslandsThe agreement, published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, approves the construction of the third wind turbine at the Botija-Gáldar wind farm (Phase II). This new turbine will have a capacity of 0,8 megawatts (800 kilowatts) and will be installed in the Los Llanos de Botija area, where two similar turbines are already in operation.
With the addition of this new equipment, the complex will reach a combined power of 2,4 megawatts of installed capacityThis figure, although modest on the scale of the Canary Islands electricity system, is especially relevant at the municipal level, as it is a park managed directly by a local administration and not by a large private company in the sector.
The technical project for this phase includes the Supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of an Enercon E-53 wind turbineIn addition to all the necessary connection and evacuation infrastructure to feed the generated energy into the grid, this is a well-established technology in the European wind energy sector, suitable for medium-sized sites like Gáldar.
With this expansion, the Gáldar City Council consolidates a model of local public management of electricity production, aligned with European energy transition policies and with the climate neutrality objectives set for the coming decades.
Fully public investment and financing
The execution of Phase II of the Botija-Gáldar wind farm represents a total investment of 1.884.538 eurosThis amount covers both the Enercon E-53 wind turbine and the civil works, the electrical connection and the work associated with the assembly and commissioning of the installation.
To cover this expense, the Gáldar council will rely on a combination of state and regional aidOn the one hand, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge is providing a grant of €1,2 million from renewable energy promotion programs. On the other hand, the Canary Islands Government's Department of Ecological Transition and Energy is contributing an additional €684.600.
This financing scheme allows the project to develop without depending on private capital or large electricity companiesThis ensures that ownership and the benefits derived from energy production remain in municipal hands. The combination of state and regional funding also reflects the priority that public administrations give to the implementation of renewable energy in island territories.
Phase II is in addition to the first stage of the park, which It required an initial investment of approximately 2,5 million euros.This initial investment was funded using the City Council of Gáldar's own resources and aid from the European Union, consolidating from the outset a model of direct public financing in accordance with EU guidelines on climate and energy.
Together, the two phases constitute a project of strategic importance for the municipality and for Gran Canaria, both because of its investment volume and because of the demonstrative effect of a renewable infrastructure fully controlled by a local entity.
Electricity production and environmental benefits
Beyond the investment, the expansion of the Botija-Gáldar wind farm will have a direct impact on the clean energy production on the island. The technical studies incorporated into the regional decree estimate that the The new wind turbine will generate around 2.473 megawatt-hours per year.
That production is equivalent, in terms of conventional energy consumption, to approximately 620,72 tons of oil equivalent which will no longer be used each year. In a non-peninsular territory like the Canary Islands, which is highly dependent on imported fossil fuels for its electricity generation, this saving is especially significant.
In terms of climate, the commissioning of the third turbine will allow to avoid the emission of approximately 2.040 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annuallyThese figures are integrated into the Canary Islands' decarbonization roadmap, which sets ambitious emissions reduction targets for 2040, and help to lower the additional costs associated with generation in the island's electricity systems.
The Botija-Gáldar park thus becomes a relevant piece within the regional and state strategy for increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity mixWhile reducing exposure to the volatility of international oil and gas prices, this project, though municipal in scale, makes a tangible contribution to the overall island system.
In socioeconomic terms, the municipality's greater energy self-sufficiency opens the door to Potential improvements in supply stability and local energy costsin addition to promoting the creation of jobs related to the construction, operation and maintenance of the facility.
Environmental constraints, landscape integration and planning
The approval for the third wind turbine has not come without conditions. The Gran Canaria Island Council has established a series of mandatory requirements intended to minimize the territorial and landscape impact of the park expansion in the northern part of the island.
Among these requirements is the restoration and cultivation of an agricultural area equivalent to that occupied by the installationwith the aim of offsetting the impact on potentially productive land. It is also essential to implement an integrated color scheme on the park's visible elements, so that the infrastructure blends better with the surrounding landscape.
Furthermore, it has been established that establishment of a financial guarantee This mechanism aims to guarantee the dismantling of wind turbines and the restoration of the land once the installation's useful life has ended. It seeks to ensure that, when the time comes, the costs of environmental remediation do not fall on the public.
The regional decree also includes the obligation to adjust the affected municipal urban planningThe modification of urban planning regulations will be carried out in the first substantial revision of the planning, in accordance with the electrical and territorial legislation of the Canary Islands, which contemplates formulas to expedite the implementation of renewable infrastructures considered to be of general interest.
With this set of conditions, the administrations involved try to balance the Boosting the energy transition while protecting the territoryThis is a particularly sensitive debate on islands where space is limited and landscape value is a fundamental resource.
A long but decisive administrative journey for Botija-Gáldar
The final authorization of the third wind turbine completes a administrative process that dates back to November 2022, when the Gáldar City Council submitted the application for a declaration of general interest for the project to the Government of the Canary Islands.
That declaration of general interest was obtained in March 2023This allowed further progress in the technical and environmental permitting process. However, the project had to be adapted to the conclusions of the Environmental Impact Statement issued in September 2024which required adjustments and a partial relocation to ensure compatibility with the environment.
Already June 2025The City Council took a key step by formalizing a lease agreement for approximately 6.000 square meters in the Los Llanos de Botija area. This agreement, signed with the landowner, allowed the project to fit within the territorially authorized alternatives approved by the regional administration and meet the established requirements.
Once these stages are completed, the publication of Decree 50/2026 in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands unlocks the final processing phase and the tender for the worksThe City Council may award the construction, assembly and connection work for the new wind turbine with the aim of putting it into service in the shortest reasonable time.
The municipal corporation emphasizes that this path, although complex and lengthy, has been necessary to guarantee legal certainty and environmental compliance of a project intended to position Gáldar as a regional benchmark in the direct management of renewable infrastructure.
With Phase II underway, the Botija-Gáldar wind farm is emerging as an example of How a municipality can lead its own energy transitionCombining European, state and regional public funding, strict environmental requirements and long-term planning that seeks to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and strengthen local energy autonomy.