What happened on Saturday morning?
On 3 October 2026 at 05:44, a fault occurred in the 66-kV network at the Mácher electrical substation in the municipality of Tías. According to 112 Canarias, around 51,703 customers were initially without power.
Four minutes later, during restoration work, another fault occurred at the San Bartolomé and Punta Grande substations. The number of affected customers rose to around 73,600 on Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
Playa Blanca remained supplied, according to 112 Canarias, because the town has a connection with Fuerteventura. Endesa began the gradual restoration of the electricity network after the incident.
What does the PLATECA pre-alert level mean?
The Dirección General de Emergencias of the Gobierno de Canarias activated the PLATECA pre-alert level on Saturday, 3 October 2026, at 07:15. The PLATECA is the territorial emergency plan of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, approved by Decree 98/2015 of 22 May.
According to 112 Canarias, the pre-alert level serves to monitor developments, coordinate between administrations and assess possible impacts on essential services. It is not a curfew and contains no new rules for residents or visitors.
The Cabildo de Lanzarote y La Graciosa also activated the Plan de Emergencias Insular de Lanzarote (PEIN) at the pre-alert level. The authorities recommended responsible water consumption and attention to official communications.
What consequences did the power cut have for water?
The power cut stopped the desalination plants on Lanzarote and La Graciosa, temporarily halting drinking water production. Once power returned, the plants could not immediately resume normal operation, as restart and stabilisation were required.
During the day, temporary water interruptions, low water pressure and other local disruptions were therefore possible. Water production and distribution were gradually resumed.
According to a later report, water production at the desalination plants had been fully restored. Normalisation of storage and distribution was expected for Sunday, 4 October 2026. In Arrecife, only the rebuilding of supply had begun. It was expected to proceed gradually, with possible pressure drops and isolated water shortages.
What do residents and visitors need to bear in mind now?
No new prices, fees, access requirements, applications or deadlines were reported. According to the available information, the pre-alert level changed neither residency rights nor travel regulations.
In practical terms, possible temporary water interruptions and pressure drops were relevant, even after power was available again. The authorities recommended responsible use of drinking water.
For emergencies, the number 080 was given, along with the fire service control centres 928 816 308, 928 816 312 and 928 814 858. These details come from the official communications about the incident.
How should the power cut be assessed?
According to 112 Canarias, around 39,000 customers were still without power at 06:47, and later around 8,463. The Cabildo reported restoration only during the course of the morning (Atlántico Hoy, 10:43). No comparison with the previous month or previous year is mentioned in the sources.
The Dirección General de Emergencias activated the PLATECA on 28 April 2025 across the archipelago in Situación de Alerta because of the nationwide power cut, in order to monitor possible impacts on essential supply services.
What remains open?
The exact technical cause of the power cut was to be investigated. The Consejería de Transición Ecológica y Energía requested information from the companies responsible for the electricity network.
No final investigation report or date for further measures is mentioned in the available sources. The authorities have so far not published any additional restrictions or conditions.
Full normalisation of drinking water storage and distribution was expected for Sunday, 4 October 2026. Residents should continue to follow official communications.