Canary Islands give environmental green light to the Tajao MV line diversion in Arico

The General Directorate of Environmental Quality of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands has formulated the Environmental Impact Report for the diversion project of the medium voltage line (MVL) “Tajao” in the municipality of Arico (Tenerife), by means of a Resolution dated May 29, 2026. The ruling, published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands No. 173 on Friday, August 28, 2026, concludes that the action will not have significant adverse effects on the environment.

The project, promoted by Edistribución Redes Digitales S.L.U. as the distribution network manager, is declared of general interest for the improvement of the electricity supply and included in the PIC2025 Quality Plans, funded by the distribution network tariff. Its benefit serves the general interest of all customers in the affected municipality, and its execution was planned for 2025. The processed file is 14/2025-0326085101.

An underground route of 1,820 meters

The action consists of installing a new Underground Medium Voltage Line (UMVL) that will connect the existing transformation center C402546 “Los Abriguitos” with support A405668, both belonging to the “Tajao” MVL of the “Arico_2” substation, located about 600 meters from the urban center of Abades. The line, with characteristics RH5ZI 0.6/1kV 3x1x150 mm² AI 12/20 kV SECO, will have a length of 1,820 meters and will run along existing paths, largely utilizing the ducting already present on Avenida Ocira.

• Cleaning of existing manholes and ducting.
• Construction of new ducting and manholes.
• Laying of the UMVL.
• Renovation of CT C402546, replacing the air-insulated switchgear with a compact set of cells (2L+P) with SF6 insulation.

The permanent occupation of the infrastructure will be approximately 617.5 m², and the execution period of the work is estimated at 25 days.

Simplified environmental assessment

The project is subject to a simplified environmental impact assessment in application of article 7.2.a) of Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment, as the new line runs within 100 meters of an isolated dwelling. The environmental document analyzed three alternatives and selected Alternative 1 (underground route), considered the most consistent with the PIOT from an environmental point of view by the Technical Territorial Planning Service of the Cabildo de Tenerife.

The consultation process, initiated on May 20 and 21, 2025, gathered reports from numerous administrations and entities, including the Cabildo de Tenerife, the Arico City Council, Red Eléctrica de España, Telefónica de España, and SEO BirdLife. The heritage study, signed by technician Aitor Barroso Roig (iPlan Gestión Integral de Proyectos), and the technical project, signed by engineer Xavier García Costa, received a favorable report from the Cabildo’s Cultural Heritage Service.

Protection of avifauna and heritage

Part of the route runs within the Priority area for reproduction, feeding, dispersal, and concentration of threatened avifauna T-21 “Laderas de Granadilla-Arico”, where species such as the Eurasian curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus distinctus) and the coastal Tenerife pimelia (Pimelia canariensis) are distributed. The area also coincides with the habitat of community interest 5330 Thermo-Mediterranean and pre-steppe scrub, although, since the line runs along existing roads, no significant impacts are foreseen.

The report includes an annex of additional environmental measures, most notably the archaeological monitoring of all earth-moving activities and the marking of the nine inventoried heritage assets. The environmental impact report will be valid for four years from its publication, after which it will cease to have effect if the project is not authorized.

The resolution, signed by the Director General of Environmental Quality, Ángel Pablo Montañés Ríos, represents a key step in reinforcing the reliability of the electricity supply in the south of Tenerife—an area with growing urban and tourist development—while simultaneously guaranteeing the compatibility of the infrastructure with the environmental and heritage values of the municipality of Arico.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 173, August 28, 2026, III. Other Resolutions, page 33499 (official reference: Resolution of May 29, 2026, file 14/2025-0326085101).