- The solidified lava will prevent recovery of the old layout so the power lines are planned to be installed following the route of the new roads.
- The Hermosilla and Las Manchas plants will only be used provisionally in case of a breakdown at the Valle substation or on the southern line.
Cumbre Vieja destroyed 136.5 kilometres of power lines, 1,668 medium and low-voltage pylons, 25 distribution centres and a transmission centre. The volcanic eruption caused the loss of La Palma's double-ring transmission circuit that linked the north and south of the island. Endesa estimates that replacing the island's electrical mesh – a complex tasks in itself – and building new structures that are key to the energy operation will require an investment of 10 million euros.
Despite the thrust of numerous lava flows that ran through the south of La Palma for almost three months, the island did not lose its electricity supply at any time. This was thanks to the intense, non-stop work of Endesa's workforce, which was doubled in size, with as many as 40 extra staff, and the immediate introduction of generators to make up the power shortfall resulting from lost lines. The volcanic eruption caused the loss of La Palma's power transmission ring that linked the north and south of the island. Endesa estimates that restoring the island's electrical mesh and creating new key structures for the energy operation will cost 10 million euros.
As Endesa's general manager of Infrastructures and Networks, José Manuel Revuelta, explained, "the electricity supply on an island like La Palma is complicated enough in itself and the volcanic eruption swept away the two-line ring that ran across La Palma, leaving a single precarious line. The volcano has allowed us to take a master's degree in how to react to such a catastrophic situation and now we are focused on continuing to guarantee the electricity supply to everyone who still has a home in the affected areas."
Endesa's Head of Distribution in the Canary Islands, Carlos Lafoz, emphasised that reconstruction of the island's electricity system now depends greatly on the layout of the new roads. Therefore, Endesa technicians have already held several meetings with local and regional authorities to sketch the future path of the electricity lines. "Once the politicians have agreed the new road routes, we will follow their layout as much as possible to locate the medium-voltage lines." The main obstacles to rebuilding La Palma's electrical system are the depth of the lava and the high temperatures that the magmatic material still preserves inside it at certain points, plus the gas emissions.
The new layout of the island's electricity grid introduces the variant of underground lines in sections where the lava makes overhead installation impossible. Another of the tasks Endesa's technicians have worked on recently is to supply electrical power for the pumping of water from the north to the south of the Island. We have to remember that the volcanic eruption also destroyed the drinking water supply pipes. The La Palma Island Water Authority has installed a pumping system that borders the volcano on the way to Las Manchas and carries water directly to towns in the south of the island.
Endesa has worked hard to install generator sets in districts like La Laguna, guaranteeing electricity in practically all habitable areas, so that the residents evacuated from 64 homes could go back to clean them in recent days.
Backup plants in Hermosilla and Las Manchas
Tasks assigned to Endesa's Generation and Distribution teams, as part of La Palma's electrical reconstruction plan, include the setting up of portable thermal power plants, one in Los Llanos de Aridane, now completed, and another in Las Manchas, one of the areas most affected by volcanic activity, on which work started just a week ago.
The Hermosilla thermal power plant, in Los Llanos de Aridane, was completed in record time. It has a power capacity of 9 MW, enough to supply fully the population of Los Llanos. It is equipped with twelve sizeable generator sets brought to the island by sea from places such as Italy, Germany and Belgium. It is also necessary to lay the underground medium-voltage line to connect the point at Hermosilla with the substation in Valle.
Meanwhile, the project is now under way to install a mobile thermal power plant in Las Manchas, a place severely affected by lava. The aim is to replace the line that linked the north and south of La Palma, which Endesa's technicians say was completely destroyed. This infrastructure is intended as a temporary replacement for the ringed circuit. When completed, it will add capacity of 4 MW.
Both plants are intended to come into operation only at certain moments, in response to breakdowns and logistical backup needs. The rest of the time, the generator sets will be turned off. These are temporary facilities with an initial permit of one year, but they are essential to guaranteeing the island's electricity supply in the current stage.
Endesa also has the support on the island of a laboratory vehicle owned by e-distribución that detects possible damage to subterranean cables, which during the months of the eruption were subjected to the impact of the high surface temperatures as the lava flows passed. The reconstruction work also includes replacing much of this cabling.
In September, Endesa adopted measures to support La Palma's population in the form of reductions in electricity bills to mitigate the economic and social effects on families of the Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption. It also set up the free 900920973 telephone helpline so that customers in La Palma could request the special 50% discount rate for the next six months without having to travel to physical service points. This helpline was available until 17 January.
Finally, a total of 10,120 requests have been registered from customers interested in receiving the discount, 714 of them managed on the free telephone helpline and the rest in the company's offices.
Within a few days of the start of the eruption, Endesa launched certain support measures, which included personalised payment plans to postpone or divide bills and special measures for users whose homes were directly affected by the eruption. Contracts have already been automatically terminated and invoices cancelled, from the date the eruption began, for La Palma residents who lost their homes.
About Endesa
Endesa is the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end business from generation to marketing and through Endesa X also offers value-added services aimed at the decarbonisation of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and public administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and therefore strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the electrification of the economy and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. We have a workforce of 9,600 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.