Ibiza is set to receive a major investment in its electricity distribution network following a summer in which repeated outages affected parts of the island.

Endesa has announced a programme of nearly €17 million between 2027 and 2030, involving 77 separate actions across Ibiza’s five municipalities and work on approximately 68 kilometres of distribution network.

The objective is to increase the capacity, reliability and resilience of the system, particularly during periods of high electricity demand.

The announcement comes after months of concern from residents, businesses and public institutions about the frequency of power interruptions during the 2026 high season.

77 projects will be spread across all five municipalities

The investment will be distributed across the entire island rather than concentrated in one area.

Santa Eulària des Riu will receive the largest share, with more than €5.4 million allocated to 16 projects covering approximately 20.1 kilometres of network.

Sant Josep de sa Talaia follows with more than €4.8 million across 21 projects and almost 17 kilometres of network.

Sant Antoni de Portmany will receive more than €3 million for 14 projects covering around 11.7 kilometres.

Sant Joan de Labritja is allocated more than €1.7 million for four projects covering approximately 11.1 kilometres.

In Ibiza Town, 22 projects will represent an investment of around €1.9 million and cover nearly eight kilometres of network.

Santa Eulària receives the biggest investment

The distribution of funding highlights the scale of the work planned in Santa Eulària.

The municipality's 16 projects represent the largest individual investment, as well as the longest section of network included in the programme at approximately 20.1 kilometres.

Sant Josep has the second-largest allocation, reflecting the significant amount of infrastructure that needs to be reinforced in one of the island's largest municipalities.

The announcement follows a difficult summer

The investment plan comes after a summer in which electricity failures became a recurring issue in different parts of Ibiza.

Outages affected homes, businesses and other users during periods of exceptionally high seasonal demand.

The problems became particularly sensitive during the busiest months of the tourism season, when businesses depend heavily on a stable electricity supply for accommodation, restaurants, shops and other services.

The new investment programme is therefore being presented as a response to both current weaknesses in the network and the island's longer-term increase in electricity demand.

Endesa points to exceptional heat and high demand

Endesa has attributed the summer's network problems to a combination of unusually high temperatures and strong electricity demand.

During prolonged periods of heat, extensive use of air conditioning and other cooling systems increases consumption, placing additional pressure on the distribution network.

The company says the combination of these factors contributed to failures at certain points in the system.

The explanation has not eliminated concerns locally, however, with the Consell arguing that Ibiza needs infrastructure capable of coping with the predictable peaks associated with the summer season.

The aim is to make the network more resilient

The planned projects will focus primarily on strengthening the distribution system and increasing its ability to cope with demand.

Endesa says the objective is not simply to add capacity but also to improve reliability and resilience, helping the network respond more effectively when demand reaches high levels or technical problems occur.

This distinction is important for Ibiza, where summer electricity consumption is substantially higher than during the winter months.

The Consell wants the main works ready before summer 2027

The timing of the programme will be closely watched.

Consell president Vicent Marí has called for the majority of the necessary works to be completed before the 2027 summer season.

To accelerate the process, Endesa and the island's municipalities are expected to coordinate through working groups dealing with permits, locations and the execution of individual projects.

Whether that timetable can be achieved will depend on the pace of the administrative procedures and construction process.

A second low-voltage programme is still being prepared

The nearly €17 million programme does not represent the complete investment planned for Ibiza's electricity infrastructure.

Endesa is also preparing a separate complementary programme for the low-voltage network.

This is significant because the current investment focuses on the wider distribution network, while low-voltage infrastructure operates closer to individual streets, neighbourhoods and consumers.

Details and the full value of that additional programme have not yet been announced.

Maintenance will also be part of the conversation

The Consell has stressed that investment alone is not enough.

Vicent Marí has called for stronger preventive maintenance, adequate staffing and the technical resources necessary to identify potential problems before they develop into failures.

The request follows a summer in which repeated outages increased pressure on both local administrations and the electricity distributor.

The emphasis is therefore not only on building new infrastructure, but also on maintaining the existing network more effectively.

Ibiza is facing increasing electricity demand

The investment comes against a broader change in the island's energy requirements.

Ibiza's population, tourism activity and reliance on air conditioning during increasingly hot summers all contribute to higher electricity consumption.

The challenge is particularly pronounced during the peak tourist season, when demand rises sharply at the same time that temperatures are at their highest.

Strengthening distribution infrastructure is therefore becoming increasingly important for the island's ability to support both residents and its tourism economy.

The island already has major energy infrastructure projects underway

The new Endesa investment should also be understood as part of a wider programme of electricity infrastructure improvements on Ibiza.

Red Eléctrica is developing a major battery storage facility in Sant Antoni, with an investment of €77 million.

The batteries are designed to strengthen the electricity transmission system and could almost double the contribution of the existing Mallorca-Ibiza interconnection from around 100 MW to approximately 190 MW.

That project concerns the transmission system rather than the local distribution network being upgraded by Endesa, meaning the two investments address different parts of Ibiza's electricity infrastructure.

Distribution and transmission are not the same thing

The distinction is important when assessing what the new €17 million programme will achieve.

Red Eléctrica is responsible for the high-voltage transmission system that moves electricity between major points on the network.

Endesa's announced investment concerns the distribution network that ultimately delivers electricity to local areas, businesses and homes.

Improving both systems is relevant to reliability, but the two projects operate at different levels of the electricity system.

Five municipalities will see new infrastructure

The fact that all five Ibiza municipalities are included is significant.

Rather than targeting a single area associated with the most visible outages, the programme is designed as an island-wide reinforcement of the distribution network.

Ibiza Town will receive the largest number of individual projects with 22, while Sant Josep has 21 and Santa Eulària 16.

Sant Antoni has 14 projects and Sant Joan four.

The number of projects does not directly correspond to the amount invested, because the cost and scope of individual works vary.

The biggest projects are not necessarily in Ibiza Town

Although Ibiza Town has the highest number of individual actions, Santa Eulària receives the largest financial allocation and the greatest length of network intervention.

That highlights why the number of projects alone is not enough to judge the scale of investment in each municipality.

The programme has been divided according to the specific infrastructure requirements identified across the island.

Why the investment matters to businesses

Reliable electricity is particularly important for Ibiza's tourism economy.

Hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, supermarkets, offices and other businesses can be severely affected when outages last for extended periods.

The impact can go beyond the loss of electricity itself, potentially affecting refrigeration, air conditioning, payment systems, communications and other essential operations.

Reducing the frequency and duration of failures is therefore an economic issue as well as an infrastructure one.

A difficult summer has accelerated the focus on infrastructure

The 2026 outages have intensified a debate that has existed for years around Ibiza's capacity to support peak-season demand.

The island's electricity system must cope not only with its resident population but with a dramatically larger number of people during the tourist season.

The new investment programme is an acknowledgement that additional capacity and stronger distribution infrastructure are required to meet that reality.

The real test will come next summer

For Ibiza residents and businesses, the significance of the announcement will ultimately be measured not by the size of the investment but by whether the outages become less frequent.

The planned projects will take time to design, approve and build.

The Consell's objective of having the bulk of the work completed before summer 2027 puts a relatively short timeframe on the first results.

That makes the coming months particularly important as municipalities and Endesa begin coordinating the projects.

A €17 million response to Ibiza’s electricity challenge

The nearly €17 million investment represents a substantial reinforcement of Ibiza's local electricity distribution network.

Across 77 projects and approximately 68 kilometres of infrastructure, all five municipalities will receive new investment aimed at increasing capacity and improving reliability.

Santa Eulària will receive the largest allocation, followed by Sant Josep, while the island's capital will have the greatest number of individual actions.

A separate low-voltage plan is still being prepared, and the Consell is also calling for stronger preventive maintenance.

After a summer of repeated blackouts, Ibiza now has a clear investment programme on the table.

The next question is whether the infrastructure can be strengthened quickly enough to make a noticeable difference when the next high-season heat arrives.