Did Playa Blanca have power during the blackout?

Yes, Playa Blanca stayed on the grid because the town is supplied through the link with Fuerteventura. Almost all the rest of the island lost power on 3 October 2026.

How long did the power cut on Lanzarote last in October?

It began at about 05:44 on 3 October, and supply was practically restored by about 07:13. At 07:30 about 700 customers were still without power, according to the emergency consortium.

How many customers were affected?

The emergency services gave around 73,600 customers, and a later report around 84,000. Which figure is right has not been settled.

Are there new rules because of Bergaz's demand?

No. His demand has no legal force, and there are no new deadlines or applications.

When will the new line to Playa Blanca arrive?

That is open. The government calls the Tías–Playa Blanca line a priority project, but it has published no timetable or budget.

What happened on La Graciosa in August?

On 16 August a line at Risco de Famara failed, and 603 users stayed without power until 15:38. Shops, bars and restaurants stayed shut, and water ran short.

Lanzarote blackout 3 October: Playa Blanca kept power

What changes now for visitors and residents?

Nothing changes for visitors or residents after Marcos Bergaz's speech: there are no new rules, deadlines or applications. His demand has no legal force, and the risk of short total or partial outages remains.

The power failed at about 05:44 on Saturday 3 October 2026. Supply was practically restored by about 07:13.

The authorities' provisional account blames a fault in the 66 kV network at the Mácher substation in Tías. Playa Blanca kept its power anyway, because a cable supplies the town from Fuerteventura.

So people living or holidaying there had power, unlike most of the island. The reports say nothing about other resorts.

Aguas de Lanzarote, the water company, warned that morning of interruptions and pressure drops because the desalination plants had stopped. The reports gave no official advice for guests, so ask your accommodation if problems arise.

What does Bergaz demand, and how does the minister reply?

Marcos Bergaz, PSOE member for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, spoke in the plenary session of the Canary Parliament on 10 November. He addressed energy minister Mariano Hernández Zapata (PP) and said the year had begun with a blackout on La Graciosa.

In October almost the whole island went dark, he said, and more than 73,600 users lost power. The incident showed “the weaknesses of the energy system” and also hit the water service.

Bergaz criticises the slow rollout of renewables and the blocked designation of the acceleration zones (ZAR). He says the 2027 draft budget cuts the budget lines of the Consejería (the regional ministry) by 68% compared with 2026, but that figure has not been cross-checked.

Zapata said he understood the anger of residents on Lanzarote and La Graciosa: “It is my own anger”. He pointed to the fault at the Mácher substation and admitted the grid needs strengthening.

The government wants to finish the last stretch of the Mácher–Playa Blanca cable, with funding for burying it near Yaiza. The report gave no amounts or dates.

How did the outage of 3 October unfold?

At first about 51,703 customers were affected, and the emergency services later gave around 73,600. A later report of 2 November puts the figure at around 84,000, and which number is right remains open.

Four minutes after the first fault, a disturbance in San Bartolomé and Punta Grande added a loss of generation. That left almost all of Lanzarote, along with La Graciosa, affected.

At 06:47 about 39,000 customers were still without power, and by 07:30 about 700, according to the emergency consortium. At 07:15 the pre-alert level of the PLATECA emergency plan, which the Canary government leads, applied.

What happened on La Graciosa?

On 2 January 2026 a grid fault knocked out the north of Lanzarote and La Graciosa. Some bars and restaurants had to close.

On Sunday 16 August a medium-voltage overhead line at Risco de Famara failed at 05:30. Repairs began at 11:35 and power returned at 15:38, as moving staff and materials by sea caused problems.

At first 6,106 subscribers were hit, but after about 30 minutes 603 users were still without power, almost all on La Graciosa. Shops, bars and restaurants stayed shut, and water ran short because the pumps need electricity.

The energy community “El Sol de La Graciosa” says the island depends on a single line about 40 years old. Its president Nahum Cabrera proposes solar panels on public roofs and large batteries, but the community gave no costs.

Who is responsible, and what happens next?

The reports blame no one explicitly. Red Eléctrica operates the 66 and 132 kV grids as transmission operator, while Endesa distributes the power and carries out repairs.

The Consejería wants to know what went wrong and why. It says it will hold to account whoever may be responsible.

It points to the energy emergency declared at the start of the legislature and to investment in grids and batteries. It calls the new Tías–Playa Blanca line a priority project.

There is no official investigation report on Mácher, nor any dates or budgets for the line, the burying near Yaiza, batteries or an emergency plan for La Graciosa. In March 2025 the BOE (Spain's official state gazette) published the public notice on authorisation and declaration of public utility for the extension of the Mácher station (66 kV).

Where does Lanzarote stand on grid and renewables?

Since October 2022 a 132 kV cable has linked Playa Blanca with La Oliva on Fuerteventura. A 2018 Red Eléctrica plan envisaged 71.1 million euros for Lanzarote, an old figure and not a current one.

Lanzarote has five wind farms with a combined 40.7 megawatts, according to the Cabildo (island government). Red Eléctrica says installed renewable capacity in the Canaries in 2025 was 30.4%, against 68.8% on average in Spain.