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Frequent Blackouts, Old Infrastructure, and an Unprecedented Submarine Project That Promises to Change the Energy Future of the City: La Gomera Lived for Years with Total Blackouts and Now Bets on a Unique Cable in the World to Prevent the Island from Going Dark Again
La Gomera has suffered, over the past years, successive total blackouts that have affected residents, businesses, and essential services, especially during incidents recorded between 2023 and 2026, until an unprecedented solution began to be implemented in the Canary Islands: a unique cable in the world, installed on the ocean floor, capable of connecting the island to Tenerife and drastically reducing the risk of new energy collapses.
The most recent interruption occurred on a Sunday marked by strong winds, at 12:13 PM, when the entire island was left without power.
Clocks stopped, screens went dark, and 15,610 medium and low voltage points were affected. The problem was not limited to lighting.
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Mobile networks went down, card machines stopped working, and part of the commerce had to close its doors in the middle of lunch hour.
An Isolated System That Collapsed More Than Once
The repetition of blackouts in La Gomera is not a matter of chance. The island operates as an isolated electrical system, almost entirely dependent on the El Palmar thermoelectric plant. When one of the generators fails, the entire system is at risk.
According to information released by the Canary Radio and Television, the origin of the most recent blackout was a destabilization in one of the generators.
This type of failure triggers the so-called cascade effect, when other equipment is automatically shut down for safety, resulting in a total blackout.
The president of the Cabildo of La Gomera, Casimiro Curbelo, was direct in pointing out the problem. One of the engines is old, and its deterioration compromises the entire network.
The company Endesa reported that the exact causes are still under investigation, but the age of the infrastructure is treated as a central factor.
A Quick Recovery That Does Not Eliminate Structural Risk
Unlike the blackout in July 2023, which left the island without power for three days and resulted in a fine of 12.1 million euros for the concessionaire, the technical response this time was more agile. In just 17 minutes, power supply began to be restored.
The restart, however, needed to be gradual. The then Minister of Ecological Transition and Energy, Mariano Hernández Zapata, explained that reconnecting the entire load at once could trigger a new collapse.
Service was only fully normalized around 3:25 PM, nearly three hours later, with warnings of small punctual interruptions.
The Unique Cable in the World That Promises to Change the Island’s History
At the center of this transformation is a project considered historic by European electrical engineering. Red Eléctrica de España began installing the world’s deepest three-phase AC cable, reaching 1,145 meters on the seabed.
It spans 36 kilometers, connecting the substations of Chío in Tenerife and El Palmar in La Gomera. The cable operates at 66 kV and functions as a true energy lifeline between the islands.
With it, La Gomera will be able to receive up to 50 MVA of external energy in case of a local failure. This means that a problem in a single generator will no longer be enough to blackout the entire island.
More Stable Energy and Space for Renewable Sources
In addition to increasing energy security, the unique cable in the world paves the way for the integration of renewable sources. The interconnection allows clean energy produced on one island to be shared with the other, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and helping to meet the decarbonization targets of the Canary Islands.
The current model, based on isolated generation, will be replaced by an interconnected network, more flexible and resistant to failures.
A Solution That Arrived Late, But Is Still Essential
The initial schedule anticipated the completion of the interconnection by the end of 2025. With the beginning of 2026, residents noticed that the work was still not fully operational.
Until the completion of the connections and the expected commissioning in the first quarter of the year, La Gomera remains vulnerable.
Even with more efficient emergency protocols, the feeling of uncertainty endures. Regional authorities are closely monitoring the situation, aware that each blackout affects the local economy and the island’s tourist image.
The submarine cable, however, is seen as the only real guarantee that an old engine will not silence all of La Gomera again.
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