Spain eyes Canary Islands for geothermal energy potential

Spain is eyeing the volcanic Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean as a potential source of geothermal energy, as the country investigates ways to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality, reported Xinhua.

The island of Lanzarote is not only one of Spain's major tourist destinations, but also the site of a number of projects searching for major sources of geothermal energy underground. These consist of formations of hot rock that have evolved over millions of years, which can reach 600 degrees Celsius below depths of 10 meters.

Great geothermal resources exist in the Canary Islands, as well as perfect conditions for generating electricity, said Alejandro Garcia Gil, a leading hydrogeologist and researcher at the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain.

Spain's Ministry of Ecological Transition has allocated 117 million euros (127 million U.S. dollars) for research into this type of energy, through the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy. Of this amount, 112 million euros will be spent in the Canary Islands, which include La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.

"In recent years, and especially with the recent eruption on the island of La Palma, the government has become very active in seeking funding, along with the European recovery funds that have been allocated to help research into energy resources," Garcia Gil told Xinhua.

While studies carried out in the 1970s and 1980s identified potential geothermal sites on the islands, it is only now that the Spanish authorities and some private companies have begun to explore the possibility of harnessing this type of energy.

"On islands with a high dependence on importing energy resources and fossil fuels, there's been an increasing emphasis on renewables. And so this recent volcanic eruption has posed the question that if these geothermal resources exist, why are they not being exploited?" said Garcia Gil, referring to the Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption on La Palma island in 2021.

The Spanish government's national energy and climate plan sets the objectives of raising the country's geothermal capacity to 15 megawatts (MW) by 2025, and 30 MW by 2030.

Meanwhile, according to an estimate by the European Geothermal Energy Council, this type of renewable energy could be enough to satisfy up to 25 percent of the bloc's heating consumption.

Garcia Gil said that the 25 percent objective is realistic, but emphasized that it will depend on the willingness of governments and the European Union (EU), as well as on the regulations applied to thermal installations.

In January, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution calling on the Commission and Member States to explore and develop the potential of geothermal energy across the EU, and to put forward a set of concrete recommendations.