A widespread power cut temporarily halted water production on Lanzarote and La Graciosa during the night of 3 October. The desalination plants went offline as a result of the so-called cero energético on Sunday. The Government of the Canary Islands activated the emergency plan’s pre-alert level this morning PLATECA for Lanzarote, to coordinate measures across the energy and water supply sectors.
According to the Consorcio del Agua de Lanzarote and the operator Canal Gestión Lanzarote the desalination plants were shut down in a controlled manner. Since then, targeted switching operations have been carried out across the distribution network to conserve available reserves and stabilise pressure. The authorities stress that the return of electricity does not mean that water production can immediately resume in full: the plants need time to start up before output and quality become stable again.
Those responsible expect local, temporary supply interruptions, reduced water pressure and possible cloudiness during the restart over the course of the day. According to Consorcio del Agua de Lanzarote, priority is being given to critical facilities and densely populated areas. Residents are asked to reduce their water use until the desalination plants are back to normal output.
The Government of the Canary Islands is coordinating the situation with network operators. The aim is to stabilise the electricity supply gradually and bring water production back online in a controlled manner. Water companies say updates on disruptions and the restart are being provided continuously through their information channels.
The incident has once again highlighted the vulnerability of the islands’ infrastructure. Disruptions to the power generation and distribution chain earlier this year also led to drinking water shortages. Investment in additional storage capacity, modernising pumping stations and protecting desalination plants against power cuts are therefore under consideration. Closer coordination between the energy and water sectors is also cited as an immediate lesson from the current incident.
Official bodies and operators have not forecast when all services will be fully restored. They point out that stabilising the electricity grid remains a necessary condition for the reliable restart of the desalination plants.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).