Calidad Ambiental endorses the Lopesan III photovoltaic plant in Maspalomas

The General Directorate of Environmental Quality has formulated the Environmental Impact Report for the project “Lopesan III self-consumption photovoltaic plant,” promoted by Maspalomas Resort, S.L. in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria. The resolution, signed on August 10, 2026, by the general director Ángel Pablo Montañés Ríos, concludes that the installation will not produce significant adverse effects on the environment and that it is not necessary to subject it to an ordinary environmental impact assessment. The text is published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands no. 205, of October 14, 2026, within section III. Other Resolutions, under file number 37/2025-0716115641.

The ruling is framed within Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment, whose article 7.2.a) requires projects in Annex II to undergo the simplified procedure. The file falls under Group 4 “Energy Industry,” letter b), relating to the construction of power lines with a voltage equal to or greater than 15 kV and a length greater than 3 km. The substantive body is the General Directorate of Energy, which submitted the request for initiation on July 2, 2025, while the environmental body is the General Directorate of Environmental Quality, attached to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy.

The consultation process opened on July 31, 2025, and concluded with eight sectoral reports incorporated into the file and no allegations from interested parties.

A self-consumption installation for the Meloneras complex

The project provides for a grid-connected solar plant without feed-in, whose connection point is the subscriber transformation center of the Hotel Costa Meloneras. Its main characteristics are:

• Nominal power of 5,196 kWn and peak power of 6,001.20 kWp.
• Estimated annual production of 10,441,622 kWh.
• 10,002 photovoltaic modules of 600 Wp on aluminum structures driven into the ground.
• 15 inverters of 346.40 kWn and three private transformation centers.
• Underground medium voltage line of 20 kV and 3,231 m to the hotel’s transformation center.
• Collection area of 25,837.69 m² and intervened area of approximately 4.80 ha.

The plant is located in Polygon 17, plots 132, 133, and 134, next to the already operational installations Lopesan I (5 MWp) and Lopesan II (3 MWp), north of the GC-1 highway, at kilometer 49. Execution is divided into two phases over approximately 24 months and the estimated useful life is 30 years.

Two sectoral objections and their resolution

The Historical Heritage Service of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria issued an unfavorable report on October 28, 2025, considering that the archaeological survey was neither systematic nor comprehensive and lacked authorization. After a new study coordinated by Evalúa Soluciones Ambientales, S.L. was submitted, the same service issued a conditional favorable report on February 2, 2026.

The Technical Service of Public Works and Infrastructure of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria ruled against the elements located within the protection strips of the GC-1, as they are projected less than 35 m from the roadway, and reported favorably on the underground crossing of the evacuation line.

The Environmental Health Service also intervened, warning of acoustic levels between 85 and 95 dB(A) during construction and the loss of landscape quality due to the accumulation of facilities, as did the Biodiversity Service, which pointed out the potential presence of protected steppe avifauna and invasive exotic species such as the long-tailed cat-snake and the California kingsnake.

Environmental conditions and validity of the report

The annex of the resolution imposes additional mandatory measures:

• Air quality control and suspension of work during intense wind or calima (dust haze), with special attention to the surroundings of the Hospital San Roque Maspalomas.
• Biweekly acoustic measurements and an electromagnetic field measurement campaign during the initial operational phase.
• Prior notification to the Historical Heritage Service ten days in advance and continuous archaeological monitoring on-site.
• Prior surveys of Pimelia granulicollis, protection of tarajal remnants, and delimitation of vegetation of interest.
• Drafting of a definitive Environmental Monitoring Program before the start of the works.

The report will lose its validity if the project is not authorized within a maximum period of four years from its publication. The resolution will be notified to the General Directorate of Energy, Maspalomas Resort, S.L., the City Council of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, and the Cabildo de Gran Canaria.

An environmental endorsement with an impact on the tourism sector

The environmental approval clears the administrative path for a facility that, according to the environmental document’s calculations, will cover nearly 60% of the electricity demand of the associated facilities and avoid the emission of approximately 5,440,085.06 kg of CO₂ per year. For the south of Gran Canaria, an area of high tourism and energy concentration, the resolution sets the conditions under which photovoltaic self-consumption can grow without compromising steppe avifauna, archaeological heritage, or the quality of life of the residents.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 205, of October 14, 2026, section III. Other Resolutions, page 37046 (official reference: resolution no. 3541, file 37/2025-0716115641).