A new battery storage facility linked to the Los Vallitos solar plant in Adeje has been approved by the Canary Islands Government, despite objections from the Cabildo de Tenerife over its location.
The project, promoted by San Eugenio S.A., will be built in Torviscas Alto and will have the capacity to store 9.6 MWh of energy.
The facility will sit alongside the existing 4,800 kW solar plant, which had already received approval.
Three groups of lithium-ion batteries
The project involves installing three groups of lithium-ion batteries, together with an underground electricity connection linking the new facility to the solar plant.
The construction budget is around €2.3 million.
Importantly, the battery system will not increase the plant’s authorised connection capacity to the electricity grid. That remains at 4,800 kW.
The idea is to store electricity generated by the solar plant rather than increase the amount of power it can send to the grid.
Cabildo raised planning concerns
The Cabildo de Tenerife’s planning department objected to the location, pointing out that the proposed site is classified as an area under environmental protection within the Island’s Urban Planning Plan.
According to the Cabildo, the proposed infrastructure did not have planning coverage under an existing planning instrument.
San Eugenio responded by referring to the existing authorisation for the solar plant. The developer also pointed out that the Canary Islands Government had previously declared the project to be in the public interest and agreed to modify the relevant planning framework.
That declaration was extended to include the battery installation in March 2026, with construction subsequently approved by the regional government in July.
Archaeology and power lines
There are also some conditions attached to the project.
The Cabildo requested an archaeological survey because the area could contain remains connected with historic agricultural and pastoral activity.
If anything of archaeological interest is discovered during construction, work must stop and the Cabildo must be informed.
Red Eléctrica also raised concerns about the proximity of its electricity infrastructure and requested that the required safety distances from its power lines are maintained.
Following proposals submitted by San Eugenio, the company said it would not oppose the location provided those safety requirements are respected.
Questions over the original solar plant
There is a separate issue surrounding the existing Los Vallitos solar plant.
In 2025, the Insular Water Council began proceedings to declare an earlier authorisation for the solar facility void, arguing that construction had not been carried out as originally authorised.
Meanwhile, the environmental authority concluded that the battery expansion does not require a standard environmental impact assessment, provided additional measures are put in place.
These include appropriate waste management and fire prevention measures, particularly given the use of lithium-ion batteries.
So while the new storage facility now has the green light, there are still a number of planning, archaeological and safety conditions that will need to be dealt with before the batteries are installed.