Tenerife has taken a historic step in its search for new energy sources. Deep drilling in the municipality of Vilaflor de Chasna, located in the high midlands of the island and shaped by successive eruptions of the Teide volcanic complex, has for the first time provided direct evidence of heat, water above 150 degrees, and rock permeability at a depth of 2,300 meters — the three elements essential for a geothermal system to be viable. The drilling, which began in May and aims to reach 3,000 meters, is being led by the public-private consortium Energía Geotérmica de Canarias (EGC), made up of the Cabildo de Tenerife through the Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ITER), Involcan, the Canary Islands energy company DISA, and Iceland's Reykjavik Geothermal, which brings its international expertise to the project.
Geothermal energy involves harnessing this internal heat of the Earth to generate electricity in a stable and renewable way, without depending on the availability of sunlight or wind as solar and wind power do. For the Canary Islands, an archipelago that barely reaches 20% renewables in its energy mix and still relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, this characteristic is especially valuable: it would bring energy autonomy, reduce the cost of hydrocarbons, and contribute significantly to decarbonizing the territory. In fact, it has been known since the 1970s that the Canary Islands are the only Spanish territory with high-enthalpy geothermal potential, thanks to their volcanic origin. Enthalpy is a thermodynamic quantity that represents the total amount of energy (heat) a system can exchange with its surroundings under constant pressure. In the context of geothermal energy, the term “high enthalpy” refers to reservoirs with very high temperatures (above 150°C), which are the ones that allow electricity to be generated efficiently; “low enthalpy” reservoirs, with lower temperatures, are used mainly for heating/cooling or direct thermal applications.
If the research drilling in Vilaflor de Chasna confirms the potential detected, Tenerife could see its first geothermal power generation plant come online around 2030, with an estimated investment of 86 million euros and a planned capacity of 5 megawatts, which would avoid the consumption of around 72,000 barrels of oil per year. The project, which would be located between three and seven kilometers from the initial drilling site depending on the potential detected, also envisions burying part of the infrastructure underground and making use of existing roads to minimize its impact on the surroundings. Even so, those in charge urge caution: the project is currently only in the research drilling phase, not the construction of a plant, and the economic feasibility study for the plant in Vilaflor de Chasna is the key tool for determining whether the project will ultimately be profitable.
Beyond Tenerife, the rest of the archipelago is watching the process closely. La Palma and Gran Canaria have also been the subject of geothermal potential studies funded by the IDAE, though with less progress than Tenerife, which has managed to coordinate public and private resources and attract foreign investment more quickly. For ITER, geothermal energy represents a strategic opportunity of the first order: continuous power, virtually zero emissions, and a much smaller land footprint than other electricity generation infrastructure. If the timeline holds, the Canary Islands could become the first region in Spain to commercialize deep geothermal energy, a milestone that would mark a turning point in the islands' energy model.
The engineers on the drafting team for the Parque Tecnológico Playa Paraíso project have considered the possibility of obtaining geothermal energy at the Las Cancelas estate, following soil test pits carried out on the site. This possibility opens up an interesting avenue for exploring the use of subsurface heat as a complementary energy source within the project, in line with the progress being made elsewhere in Tenerife, such as in Vilaflor de Chasna.
In La Laguna, September 10, 2026.
The coordinator,
Miguel Muñoz
Links of interest
– Tenerife finds geothermal energy 2,300 meters underground with high potential to turn it into renewable power:
https://share.google/DKzvu0LyEuuIaqf7D
– Geothermal energy in Tenerife:
https://share.google/kYertmuOpUADAoieH
– Tenerife could launch its first geothermal plant in 2030:
https://share.google/CfTwPBit6uYu7Y5Uy
– Economic feasibility study on the establishment of a geothermal power plant in the municipality of Vilaflor de Chasna:
https://share.google/PWxqSMWeZwzcSGgxT
– The Canary Islands bet on geothermal energy, a constant, clean, and local source of power:
https://share.google/ZxYPmwOJaOaVAckev
– The Canary Islands have potential for geothermal energy:
https://share.google/lc0FYCiwXpW8sFpH3
– Tenerife, geothermal energy in volcanic land:
https://share.google/8w2A45GDkW9YsVw9h
– Geothermal energy in the Canary Islands. Recent advances and surface analysis in southern Tenerife:
https://share.google/npVc0iRbh8XYcrJEj
– Video posted on Facebook about the geothermal project in Tenerife:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1GXwCNwa12/
– Informational Instagram Reel about geothermal energy in Tenerife:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTprlHADZFW/?stkn=a3hlbDNtbGs3dTk3
– Instagram profile @geotermiatenerife, dedicated to sharing information about the island's geothermal project:
https://www.instagram.com/geotermiatenerife?stkn=OXNzOG5ydzdldWxo
– Instagram Reel about the progress of the geothermal project in Tenerife:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DW4IfLiDOUp/?stkn=c211dno3Z2lsaDRy
– Instagram Reel about the development of geothermal energy on the island:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU0LV4dgJ_G/?stkn=MWw0cWhtdDYxcmE0ag==
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| Image of Mount Teide and Tenerife's forest belt. |
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| Perimeter area of the Parque Tecnológico Playa Paraíso initiative in the municipality of Adeje (approximately 120,000 m²). |
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| Barranco de Las Cancelas area (Adeje, Tenerife), adjacent to the perimeter area of the Parque Tecnológico Playa Paraíso initiative. |
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| Barranco de Las Cancelas in Armeñime (Adeje). |
