Spain has a isla that will save green energy that is facing serious problems with its residents. It’s an area of Canary Islands where a controversial Canarian power plant will open that would cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem. A report of Public health showed that risks to human health and well-being will occur during the construction phase and subsequent operation.
The isla where will the central green energy es Gran Canaria. This project reached the regional government and the Cabildo of Gran Canaria as a proposal to decarbonize before 2040 and a million-dollar initiative. The development of a reversible hydroelectric power station in the interior of the island aims to become the energy hallmark of the archipelago. The aim is to form a pioneering renewable storage space for the archipelago by connecting two water reservoirs and using the potential energy to generate electricity.
However, the impact on the ravine in which it is projected has opened a debate about whether this installation could go against the environment. “We are in a climate emergency where the planet is putting its future at risk. If we exceed the temperature by more than 1.5 degrees, the discussion will not be whether the Arguineguín ravine will exist, but rather whether the planet will exist,” explains the environmental lawyer. Antonio Hernández.
However, there are other citizens like the archaeologist Julio Cuenca (also chairman of the platform Save Chira-Soria) who do not think the same: “You cannot talk about the fight against climate change when at the same time the destruction of ecosystems is taking place.”
How does the green energy of the power station on the island of Gran Canaria work?
The Canary Islands government reported that about 20% of green energy in which is generated Gran Canaria It goes to waste because there is no room to store the surplus. Chira jumped It arises from two questions: where should we store the energy that is consumed less than produced and what should we do to get water when it doesn’t rain.
What is the problem Chira-Soria faces?
Still a report of it Public health October 2020 wonders if this project is really useful for the citizens. It came to light that the central green energy will pose risks to the health and well-being of the residents of the area during the construction phase for a period of at least six years (from that moment on).
One of the problems caused by the platform is air quality. The analysis places special emphasis on dust, the movement of heavy machinery and vehicles and their emissions of gases, the possible release of compounds related to explosions and organic compounds to build roads and platforms.
This document discussed how nine population centers in particular would suffer, with a total of 2,500 estimated to be affected. The negative impact of the plant would not only occur in the construction phase, but could also entail indirect risks if it is already in operation. The infrastructure associated with the project, the electricity lines, the emission of electromagnetic fields, the discharge of brine into the sea from the desalination plant and the health concerns are just some of the aspects affecting the Directorate General of Public Health.
The island of Gran Canaria can be hit like never before
The report also notes the impact this project could have on the landscape due to the electrical towers and treatment plant. Public health considered that the impact on land occupation will be permanent and irreversible due to the size of the land used for this purpose. He invited the Government of the Canary Islands to consider whether it was really worth the risk to obtain a 50-year stock.