Lanzarote Power Cut Restored, But Water Supply Disruption Continues Across the Island
Lanzarote residents and holidaymakers were hit by a major electricity blackout early on Saturday morning, with the disruption also affecting the island's water production.
The electricity supply has now been restored, but the return of the lights did not mean an immediate return to normal water supplies. Lanzarote relies heavily on desalinated seawater, and the power failure temporarily stopped several desalination plants.
What happened in Lanzarote this morning?
The incident began at around 5:44am on 3 October 2026, when a fault affected the 66kV electrical network at the Mácher substation in Tías. The initial interruption affected approximately 51,700 electricity customers.
During attempts to restore the network, a further incident affected the San Bartolomé and Punta Grande substations. The overall number of affected customers rose to around 73,600, according to information published by the Government of the Canary Islands and Endesa.
Playa Blanca was an exception because its electricity supply is connected to Fuerteventura.
Electricity was progressively restored during the morning. Cadena SER reported that the system had been restored by around 7:13am, although recovery was carried out progressively as different parts of the network were reconnected.
Why did the power cut affect Lanzarote's water supply?
Much of Lanzarote's drinking water is produced through desalination. When the electricity supply failed, the desalination plants stopped producing drinking water.
Aguas de Lanzarote y La Graciosa warned that restoring electricity would not immediately restore normal water production. The desalination plants have to go through start-up and stabilisation procedures before production can return to normal.
That meant the island could have water interruptions, lower water pressure and other supply problems even after electricity had returned.
Where could water cuts happen?
Earlier in the day, water supply interruptions were reported in several parts of Lanzarote. La Voz de Lanzarote reported that at around 8:30am there were significant interruptions in Teguise, while in Tías the supply was reported as operating in Puerto del Carmen but interrupted elsewhere.
Other areas, including parts of Arrecife and Haría, were also affected.
However, the situation has been changing throughout the day, so residents and tourists should not assume that an area listed as affected earlier will still be without water later.
The latest official update from Aguas de Lanzarote y La Graciosa, published at 3:55pm, said that all desalination plants were back in production. Water had begun reaching the main storage reservoirs and the gradual restoration of supply had started in Arrecife.
The system was not yet completely normalised, however. The authorities warned that some areas could still experience low pressure, temporary loss of water or irregular service while reservoirs refill and pumping systems are progressively returned to normal operation.
What should tourists in Lanzarote do?
If you are currently on holiday in Lanzarote, there is no need to panic, but it is sensible to be aware that water pressure or supply may temporarily vary in some locations.
A few simple steps can help:
• Use water carefully while the network is recovering. • Avoid unnecessary water use, such as washing cars or filling pools. • If your accommodation has reduced pressure, allow some time for the local network to stabilise. • Check with your hotel, apartment complex or holiday rental provider if you are unsure about the local situation. • Follow updates from Aguas de Lanzarote y La Graciosa rather than relying on older social media posts.
Residents should also continue to conserve water until the system has fully recovered.
Official updates and useful contacts
The official Aguas de Lanzarote y La Graciosa information portal is the best place to check the latest water-supply notices:
https://aguasdelanzaroteylagraciosa.com/
The public water service also lists 900 504 400 for reporting a fault.
The Government of the Canary Islands declared a PLATECA pre-alert because the blackout affected basic supplies. The Cabildo also placed the Lanzarote Island Emergency Plan (PEIN) on pre-alert while the situation was monitored.
Watch the Lanzarote blackout video
RTVE has published a short video report showing the Lanzarote and La Graciosa blackout and explaining how the electricity failure affected drinking-water production:
https://www.rtve.es/play/videos/telediario-fin-de-semana/apagon-electricidad-lanzarote-graciosa-hora-media/17252270/
What happens next?
The latest information is more reassuring for both residents and visitors: electricity has been restored and all desalination plants were reported back in production by the afternoon.
The remaining issue is the recovery of the wider water-distribution system. Reservoirs need to refill and the network needs to regain sufficient pressure before every area can return to normal.
For anyone visiting Lanzarote this weekend, the key message is therefore straightforward: the major electricity outage has been resolved, but some temporary water-supply problems may continue while the island's water system catches up.
