Summary sheet
The project concerns the construction of a thirty meter telescope for astronomical observation from the northern sky. The telescope will be located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma (Canary Islands).
The aim is to build the largest telescope of the northern hemisphere, on European soil. The Thirty Meter Telescope is expected to have more light gathering power than the largest ten existing ground-based telescopes combined, providing images that will be more than four times sharper than the James Webb Space Telescope. The project is therefore fully aligned with the EU's objective to foster excellence and global competitiveness in science.
The Promoter has obtained an environmental impact assessment (EIA) decision for the project ("Declaración De Impacto Ambiental Del Proyecto Denominado 'Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)'" published in Boletín Oficial de la Provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife núm. 13, miércoles 30 de enero de 2019 ) as well as early planning approval (Licencia de Obras delivered by Ayuntamiento de Puntagorda on 20/11/2023). Where and if applicable, and based on a risk-based approach as defined in the EIB Group Environmental and Social Policy, the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive 2011/92/EU as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU, Birds Directive 2009/147/EC and Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC will be checked during appraisal.
The promoter has been assessed by the EIB as being a private company not being subject to EU rules on public procurement or concessions . However, if at the project appraisal, the EIB were to conclude that the promoter is subject to the EU public procurement legislation then the Bank would require the promoter to apply those rules. Information on awarded main suppliers/contractors for the implementation of the envisaged operation is not available.