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Astronomical observatory in La Palma

La Palma, Spain

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Astronomical observatory in La Palma
© Ronald | Adobe Stock

Known as ‘La Isla Bonita’ thanks to its mountains and green landscapes, La Palma is located in the far north-west of the Canary Islands and has a population of around 84 000. Santa Cruz de la Palma is both the island’s capital and its main port, but the island’s most populous town is Los Llanos de Aridane, with just over 20 000 inhabitants. Declared a World Biosphere Reserve, its skies offer optimum conditions for astronomical research, making it the perfect home for one of the world’s leading astronomical observatories, the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, which is located at 2 400m above sea level. The mainstays of La Palma’s economy are banana growing and tourism.

Examples of projects and initiatives supported by the EU

FRUTTMAC-Tropical fruits

Within the framework of European territorial cooperation (Interreg) policy, La Palma Island Council, together with other bodies from the Canary Islands, took part in the FRUTTMAC programme, which aimed to improve the foundations for the sustainable development of tropical fruit farms in Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands.

Medical services in University Hospital La Palma

During 2023, La Palma’s regional health service will receive EUR 1 366 848 from the REACT-EU fund to put towards technical equipment for several medical services at La Palma University Hospital. The funding will be used to purchase an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner, a computed tomography (CT) scanner and two sets of standard x-ray equipment.

Wind farm Garafía II

The installation of four wind turbines at the Garafía II wind farm was 85% financed by the ERDF. The wind farm is located on the Lomo Salvatierra in the municipality of Garafía and has the capacity to generate 10 174 MWh of electricity per year.

Strategy “Cantón Verde”

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) allocated EUR 2 800 000 to the ‘Cantón Verde’ Sustainable and Integrated Urban Development Strategy in the towns of Santa Cruz, Breña Alta and Breña Baja, with the aim of giving a boost to new technologies, environmental protections, social inclusion and the fight against poverty.

Improvement and consolidation of the Gran Telescopio Canarias

La UE financia también a través del FEDER numerosas iniciativas del Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, entre ellas las recientes acciones de mejora y consolidación del Gran Telescopio de Canarias ubicado en el Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos.

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