Red Eléctrica has planted 300 juniper bushes at Lomo de los Azulejos and El Morrete de los Ribanzos, at the top of the Soria reservoir, thus culminating the restoration process of the open tracks for the geotechnical works at the Chira-Soria Reversible Hydropower Plant project.

Even though work didn’t entail felling or cutting back any trees, in order to improve the restoration of the terrain, junipers were planted in accordance with an Environmental Surveillance Plan authorised by the Territorial Policy Department of Gran Canaria’s Council.

Planting has been carried out in collaboration with the Island Council’s Environmental Service, to make the most of the rain that fell over last winter in order to ensure their survival.

The bushes are planted in a triangular formation with a five-metre gap between each plant, and due to the area’s general lack of rainfall, an irrigation plan has been implemented for the months of May, July and October so that they can root as strongly as possible.

The juniper is a large, evergreen bush comprising a sturdy trunk and solid wood, and it is one of the most representative examples of the so-called thermophilic or juniper-palm tree woodland, a common plant community in the Canary Islands and one of the richest in terms of diversity and plant species.

Red Eléctrica undertook the geotechnical campaign at the Chira-Soria pumped-storage hydropower plant with the aim of gaining a more detailed knowledge of the characteristics of the subsoil where the power station’s project, which is mainly underground, is to be carried out.