Granadilla de Abona: the expansion of the desalination plant, to public information

The Department of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands has submitted to public consultation the file for the modification of the discharge authorization from land to sea and of the concession for occupation of maritime-terrestrial public domain land for the expansion project of the Granadilla EDAM, in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona (Tenerife). The procedure is published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands number 158, of 7 August 2026, by means of the Resolution of 24 July 2026 of the General Directorate of Environmental Quality (announcement No. 2846, file VM-129-TF 001/2024).

The procedure arises from the applications submitted by the Tenerife Island Water Council, the body managing the hydraulic infrastructure, which has requested updating the titles that cover the installation of the desalination plant before undertaking its expansion. The legal framework of the procedure is established by the General Coastal Regulations, approved by Royal Decree 876/2014, of 10 October.

Twenty working days for submissions

Its Article 152, paragraphs 8 and 9, requires that both the processing of concessions and authorizations for industrial or polluting discharges from land to sea be submitted to public consultation for a period of 20 days. In accordance with the published resolution, file VM-129-TF 001/2024 is made available for twenty (20) working days, counted from the day following its publication in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands. Within that period, interested parties may examine the documentation and make submissions.

A double procedure: discharge and maritime-terrestrial public domain

The announcement brings together two procedures with a direct impact on the coastline of southern Tenerife. The applications from the Tenerife Island Water Council have been filed successively since 2024:

• September 25, 2024 (entry registration CTEE/89858): application for modification of the discharge authorization from land to sea (AVM) for the expansion project of the Granadilla EDAM.
• September 5, 2025 (entry registration CTEE/95562): new letter from the Tenerife Island Water Council regarding the modification of the discharge authorization.
• April 21, 2026 (general registration 838467/2026): application for modification of the concession for occupation of maritime-terrestrial public domain land of the same project.

Article 156 of the General Coastal Regulations provides for administrative coordination for the granting of authorizations and concessions within the competence of the autonomous communities that also require a concession from the Ministry for the occupation of the maritime-terrestrial public domain; the public consultation procedure is common to both procedures.

Autonomous community competence and file consultation

The competence to resolve lies with the Directorate General for Environmental Quality in accordance with article 21.a) of Decree 1/2026 of 26 January, approving the Organic Regulations of the Department of Ecological Transition and Energy and creating and regulating the Council for the Energy Transition of the Canary Islands. The resolution, signed in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on 24 July 2026 by the Director General for Environmental Quality, Ángel Pablo Montañés Ríos, also orders the referral of the notice to the Publications Service of the Government of the Canary Islands for dissemination in the official bulletin.

The documentation for the file may be consulted on the notice board of the Department of Ecological Transition and Energy, accessible from its electronic office, and downloaded through the SITA application of the Government of the Canary Islands.

The expansion of the Granadilla EDAM is among the strategic actions to guarantee the water supply in the south of Tenerife, an area of high tourist, agricultural and urban demand. At the same time, the modification of the discharge authorization and of the concession of the maritime-terrestrial public domain conditions the plant’s relationship with the coastline, so the public information period opens the possibility for administrations, entities and citizens to examine the project and submit observations before the final resolution.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Canary Islands, No. 158, of 7 August 2026, V. Notices, Other notices, p. 30961 (official reference: notice No. 2846; file VM-129-TF 001/2024).