A potentially important new energy source for Tenerife may lie beneath the quiet mountain region of Vilaflor. A test drilling project for geothermal energy has discovered hot water, high pressure and suitable rock formations at a depth of around 3,000 metres. The results are promising enough to justify further research into whether Tenerife could one day generate electricity using heat from beneath its own surface.
Three kilometres underground
Since the beginning of 2026, a special research project has been underway in the area of Trevejos, in the municipality of Vilaflor de Chasna. This is the first deep geothermal exploration borehole of its kind in Spain. The drilling has now reached a depth of approximately three kilometres.
Researchers were looking for three essential elements: sufficient heat, underground water and rock formations through which fluids can circulate. Initial results indicate that these conditions are present. According to Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition, the drilling also encountered a zone containing water under high pressure and at a temperature of more than 100 degrees Celsius.
This does not mean that a geothermal power plant will be built in the near future. First, researchers need to determine how much energy can actually be extracted from the underground system and whether exploitation would be technically and economically viable.
Electricity, day and night
Geothermal energy differs from solar and wind power in one important respect. A geothermal installation does not depend on sunlight or wind and can therefore, in principle, produce energy 24 hours a day.
For Tenerife, this could be particularly interesting. The island has abundant sunshine and wind, but a stable electricity supply also requires energy sources that are continuously available. In the long term, geothermal energy could therefore complement solar panels and wind turbines.
A geothermal installation also requires relatively little space. According to the consortium behind the project, geothermal energy can require up to 22 times less land than comparable wind or solar installations. This is an important factor on an island where available land is limited and large areas are protected natural zones.
European funding for research
The project is being carried out by EnergÃa Geotérmica de Tenerife, a public-private partnership involving the Cabildo of Tenerife, energy company DISA and Icelandic company ReykjavÃk Geothermal. Through Spain’s IDAE programme, €14.5 million in European NextGenerationEU funding has been allocated to the research.
Vilaflor is not the only area where geothermal energy is being explored. Under the same Spanish programme, eight other projects are being developed on Tenerife, La Palma and Gran Canaria. However, the drilling project in Vilaflor is currently the most advanced.
Not a power plant yet
The discovery therefore does not mean that Tenerife already has a new power station. The next phase of research must determine how much usable heat is available and at what cost it could be extracted.
A suitable financial and legal framework will also still need to be developed for electricity generated from deep geothermal energy. But if future studies confirm the current results, Tenerife’s volcanic character could in future become more than just a tourist and geological attraction. It could also become a source of locally produced, continuously available renewable energy.
Photo: AI / ChatGPT
Interested in Tenerife?
Subscribe to our newsletter and always stay informed about the news on Tenerife.
Enter your first name and a valid email address below. Then click on Subscribe.
