Gran Canaria Generates 26 Percent of Electricity From Renewables

Gran Canaria reached a new milestone in its energy transition in 2025: according to preliminary data from Red Eléctrica de España, renewable energy sources covered 25.95 percent of the island's total electricity consumption. Of a total 3,387,172 megawatt-hours (MWh) consumed, 878,917 MWh were generated from wind and solar power. This places the island five percentage points above the Canary Islands average — a signal that extends well beyond energy policy.

Record on December 1: 66.5 Percent Renewable

The absolute peak was reached on Gran Canaria on December 1, 2025 at 12:29 PM: at that moment, wind and solar plants together supplied 66.5 percent of the island's electricity demand — the highest value ever recorded in the island's grid system. The previous wind energy record was set on August 19, 2025, when wind farms produced 265.29 MWh in a single hour.

Photovoltaics is also setting new benchmarks: on February 6, 2026, grid-connected solar installations generated 120.92 MWh — a new island record. Two days later, on February 8, solar alone covered 31.2 percent of demand. All these figures exclude private rooftop solar self-consumption.

Cabildo Demands "Macaronesian Exception" for Electricity Market

Cabildo president Antonio Morales and energy adviser Joan Herrera presented a comprehensive reform proposal for the Canarian electricity market in February. The core demand: Gran Canaria and the other islands should be exempt from mainland electricity market rules — just as the Azores and Madeira already practise.

The problem is paradoxical: the more renewable energy is installed, the more of it is wasted. The reason lies in an outdated dispatch system designed for fossil fuel power plants that lacks modern storage and flexibility mechanisms. Morales emphasised: "Our system still depends predominantly on imported fossil fuels — that makes us economically, climatically and geopolitically vulnerable."

The legal basis already exists: Article 349 of the EU Treaty (TFEU) permits special arrangements for outermost regions such as the Canary Islands. The European Commission has explicitly recognised this framework — yet Spain has not applied it to its islands so far.

Salto de Chira: The Game-Changer Under Construction

A key project for Gran Canaria's energy future is Salto de Chira — a pumped-storage hydropower plant between the Soria and Chira reservoirs in the mountains above Mogán. With a planned investment of 320 million euros, the facility will store surplus wind and solar energy and feed it back into the grid when needed.

Together with planned offshore wind farms and geothermal projects, Gran Canaria could substantially reduce its fossil fuel dependency by 2030. The Canarian government's target: at least 58.2 percent of electricity from renewable sources by the end of the decade.

What This Means for Residents and Tourists

For expats and long-term residents on Gran Canaria, the energy transition means potentially more stable and lower electricity prices in the medium term — provided the storage infrastructure is built on time. Currently, consumers in the Canaries pay significantly more for electricity than on the mainland, despite the IGIC tax rate of just 7 percent compared to the peninsular 21 percent IVA.

For tourists in Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés and Meloneras, the development is equally relevant: hotels and resorts in the south are increasingly investing in their own solar installations. The trend towards sustainable tourism is actively promoted by island policy — an argument that strengthens Gran Canaria's international competitiveness as a future-oriented travel destination.