Wind Turbines - Puerto del Rosario

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Driving into Puerto yesterday I saw they had started the construction of a new wind turbine (maybe more than 1) on top of the hill by the Technology Park/old Airport.
2 enormously long lorries with the column sections were parked up and 3 blades unloaded and on the ground ready for installation. It'll certainly catch the wind up there!
It explains what all the cabling work has been about going up the hill, and the purpose of the new building being constructed up there.

[GMT]

About a kilometre from where I live. It's clear from the trees in the picture in which direction the prevailing winds blow, which I would say it'is north north-west.

[Captain Sensible]

I've heard that they'll supply enough electricity to meet the needs of Puerto del Rosario and more.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Drove through this area today and was amazed at the progress. The blades are in place on the 2 already pictured. And up on the hill behind El Time, near the Communications site,  there are columns up for 3 more, and it looked (from quite a distance away) that they may be erecting another column.  The landscape has really changed ....

[windermeregolfer]

They were working on Sunday, when I drove north at midday the first was complete and the second was only a column and when I drove back at 5pm the generator and 2 blades had been fitted.

[McAdam]

Wow, this is spectacular!

It's amazing to see how far Fuerte has come from having no electricity some 40-50 years ago!

And it's amazing that they are putting such an emphasis on Green Energy.
Every time I visit the Island of La Palma, I am shocked to see the giant diesel generators that are just pushing out clouds upon clouds of fumes and smoke.

[Johnrgby]

Wow, this is spectacular!

It's amazing to see how far Fuerte has come from having no electricity some 40-50 years ago!

I should think it is a little further back than that we came here first in 1979, and from what \the Island was like then, underdeveloped yes but there was certainly electricity just about everywhere, and when you consider the first Airport was opened in 1940,s, that would suggest there was electrical power here some 80 years ago

[McAdam]

I read an amazing article about the history of electricity on fuerte - about 9 months ago. I just spent a whole hour trying to find it again with no success
It had dates of installation and capacity numbers for all the generators installed on the island.

You are probably right, It could be the mid-70s that the first real grid was built. But I am sure that the early 70s was only localized power with some towns not having any power at all.
Before that, there were localized generators dotted all over the island, with some being privately owned.
Most major hotels had their own generators that ran 24/7.

Even the airport had its own system, which was replaced when the runway extended. I think this was mid-70s with the first international flight.

I have a bit of interest in this since I do a bit of work with Solar and Off-Grid power systems... hence why I read the article in the first place
Now I'm wishing I added to my bookmarks.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

All 8 of the new turbines now working.

Several articles in news recently:

DiariodeFuerteventura

The plenary session of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura approved this Friday a motion "in defense of the Majorero landscape and environment, with the aim of promoting prior planning that avoids the environmental impact caused by the uncontrolled proliferation of photovoltaic and wind farms throughout the island territory" .
The Island Corporation has thus agreed to monitor all declarations of general interest related to these projects, issued by the Government of the Canary Islands and, if required, will raise the corresponding proposals to challenge the authorizations granted by the Regional executive.
In addition, from the moment in which the preparation of the Special Territorial Plan begins, or with the initial approval of the revision of the Insular Plan for the Management of the Territory (PIOF), the Cabildo “may make effective the suspension of the granting of licenses of any energy production that could be incompatible with land use planning ”.
"With the aim of guaranteeing the participation of councils and city councils, as well as to ensure respect for territorial planning, in the procedure that regulates the approval of the aforementioned facilities, the Island Corporation also proposes to the Canary Islands Parliament the modification" of the regulations which regulates the Canarian Electricity Sector, which establishes the exceptional procedure for works of general interest for the supply of electricity.
A modification that, according to the spokesmen of the island government group, "is essential to provide a solution to the uncontrolled installation of these production systems." "All of this in compliance with the provisions of the Canary Islands Soil and Natural Spaces Law and the Canary Islands Planning Regulations," adds the institution.
For the president of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, Sergio Lloret López, "the Government of the Canary Islands cannot act outside the law and without taking into account the opinion of the population and the rest of the corporations."
According to the Minister of Environmental Sustainability, Lola García, "as an insular institution we must act in defense of the interests of citizens and ensure the protection of the landscape and the environment."
"We consider that prior planning of these facilities is necessary, ensuring balance and sustainability at all times, in the face of the indiscriminate proliferation of photovoltaic and wind farms," added García.
For her part, the Minister of Tourism, Jessica de León, recalled that what is proposed "is a roadmap to try to move forward in the same line and that we can respond to this demand from the society of Fuerteventura".
Criteria
The Regional Ministry of Land Management will also promote the development of island ordinances, subject to prior public consultation, which set the criteria for the homogenization of rustic land uses, in relation to the implementation of energy production, especially wind and photovoltaic .
In the same way, the Cabildo will promote a program of citizen participation, to know the position of the citizens and coordinate the alternatives for the implementation of renewable energies, and a Monitoring Commission will be created to guarantee the presence of public administrations with sectoral competences in the matter, as well as the six city councils of the Island.
This commission must propose the appropriate planning instrument to carry out said management, either the Insular Plan for the Management of the Territory, in process, or the Special Territorial Plan.

DiariodeFuerteventura

The 'war of the turrets' is resumed: the Cabildo challenges a new authorization from the Government of the Canary Islands to Red Eléctrica

• The regional Executive publishes this Friday an authorization to execute the projects of high voltage electrical installations from Puerto del Rosario to Gran Tarajal
  

The Cabildo de Fuerteventura will appeal to the Higher Court of Justice of the Canary Islands the resolution of the Government of the Canary Islands authorizing Red Eléctrica de España (REE) to execute the projects of the high voltage electrical installations of the transmission line to 132 KV double circuit, from Puerto del Rosario to Gran Tarajal.
The government group (CC, PP and AMF) have taken advantage of the plenary session for an emergency initiative in which the judicial process is endorsed "to prevent the General Directorate of Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands from authorizing REE to carry out such projects, without prior review or modification of the affected territorial and urban planning, for which the affected local administrations have a period of six months ".
Likewise, through said motion it is agreed to urge the Directorate General of Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands to "resume the path of dialogue and collaboration that had been established to find the best alternative to the execution of these facilities as they are proposed".
It should be remembered that the aforementioned turrets "were flatly rejected both by the population of the Island and by the Island Council of Fuerteventura and the Town Halls of Puerto del Rosario, Antigua and Tuineje."

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

from Onda Fuerteventura:

The first bird carcasses appear in the Puerto del Rosario wind farm.
The first bird carcasses appear in the Wind Farm of Puerto del Rosario. Specifically, it is a total of four harriers and a swift. This figure could rise as there is no record of any more deaths allegedly being removed without notification.

The Environmental Impact Study carried out for the construction of this wind farm located in the capital municipality has a study by Avifauna that, as a first irregularity, lacks the signature of the expert who has carried it out.

In addition, according to the Spanish Society of Ornithology (SeoBirdLIfe), the aforementioned study can be made clear that it is insufficient since it does not provide the necessary data to identify and evaluate the main impacts that the project may generate. This constitutes a breach of Article 5 of Directive 2011/92/EU.

According to the report, no impacts will occur because species are accustomed to human activity. To this, SeoBirdLife responds forcefully detailing that "no scientific arguments are provided and it is, to say the least, difficult to believe."

An incomplete study

Now that the first bird carcasses appear in the Puerto del Rosario wind farm, it must be remembered that before its start-up a study had to be carried out over time on the behavior of the birds that pass through the area.

The minimum duration of data collection is twelve months, however, this study, which we remember, lacks a signature, it was carried out for half the time, that is, in six months. "In fact, part of the summer and autumn period is omitted, when the birds are more gregarious, and more numerous including juveniles," they point out from SeoBirdLife

In addition, the document is not taking into account the SPA area in the impact analysis. This is a sufficient error to invalidate the final conclusion of the Environmental Impact Study.
At this point there may be those who wonder if it is time for the Environment area of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, or even the Prosecutor's Office of the area, to take action in the matter to install protections. Protection measures that would materialize in an automatic stop system in the face of possible collisions since, like SeoBirdLife and more environmental platforms, the Avifauna report is not conclusive.