A substantial power outage struck Lanzarote on Saturday, cutting electricity to over 73,600 residents. This disruption halted desalination plants, resulting in widespread shortages of drinking water across the island, except in the tourist areas of Costa Teguise and Puerto del Carmen. Authorities activated the Canary Islands’ emergency plan (PLATECA) to coordinate the response and address the crisis.
The outage began at 5:44 AM at the Mácher substation due to a fault in the 66 kV electrical network. Initially, 51,703 customers were affected, but four minutes later, additional issues at the San Bartolomé and Punta Grande substations escalated the total number of impacted customers.
Power was restored by 8:00 AM, just over two hours after the initial disruption. However, some areas experienced more delays in power recovery. The blackout severely disrupted the potable water supply, prompting Aguas de Lanzarote y La Graciosa to restart desalination processes. It wasn’t until 6:45 PM on Sunday that the public water management company announced that the system was operational again, albeit with scheduled cuts and pressure irregularities.
Two companies oversee energy in Lanzarote: Red Eléctrica, which manages the electrical network, and Endesa, which distributes the electricity. Both firms are currently under investigation to pinpoint the cause of the blackout. The General Directorate of Energy in the Canary Islands has demanded a detailed report from each company. Meanwhile, the regional president has linked the incident to the outdated electrical infrastructure in the islands. Technical reports from both companies will help clarify the reasons behind the weekend outage.
