The Spanish energy and petrochemical company Repsol has been granted two geothermal exploration permits in the south of Tenerife by the Government of the Canary Islands. These permits corresponds to the areas of Tajao and Isora and will affect five municipalities in the southwest region of Tenerife.
The Tajao exploration permit covers the municipalities of Granadilla de Abona and Arico, while the Isora permit encompasses Adeje, Santiago del Teide, and Guia de Isora. The authorizations were granted by the General Directorate of Industry on February 7 and are now under public exhibition until March 21.
The Government of the Canary Islands through the Ministry of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce had issued a public tender for geothermal resource research programs on January 2022 that offered 3,089 mining grids or 1,035 square kilometers. The public tender comes after an order by the Ministry dated 2 January 2023 to make public the extension of land corresponding to expired permits on the island of Tenerife. Moreover, the law establishes that an exploration or research permit will be put to a public tender again once it has expired.
Repsol had also previously been granted an exploration permit for the Lisa geothermal project in Gran Canaria. More recently, this exploration permit was granted a one-year extension.
Last year, the Government of the Canary Islands announced funding for geothermal exploration and research in the high-potential islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and La Palma. Previous studies done by the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME) had identified the potential of these islands to geothermal resources that can be used for power generation using conventional or binary technology.
