- Endesa reinforced the customer service plan in La Palma by enabling a free telephone number, which will be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so that those interested can benefit from a reduction in their bill during the next six months
- The company automatically cancelled 2,700 supply points that had suffered damage of different consideration by the lava flows, and they will be able to be restored at no cost to the owners as soon as they decide to request resumption of supply.
Endesa continued to strengthen the special plan to support the residents of La Palma that had been launched in September, as it was aware of the serious social and economic consequences caused by the Cumbre Vieja volcano, whose eruption had already lasted more than 80 days. In this regard, Endesa initiated the free telephone number 900920973, which can be called by all customers in La Palma who wish to benefit from a special tariff with discounts of 50 percent.
Endesa customers will also be able to continue making use of the three service points available on the island located in Los Llanos de Aridane (Calle José González Sobaco, 1), Santa Cruz de La Palma (Avenida El Puente, 35) and El Paso (Calle Tanausú,8). The company has already used its in-person offices to process 7,031 applications from residents of La Palma who are interested in benefiting during the next six months from a reduction of costs in their electricity bill.
With the implementation of this new telephone service, Endesa aims to speed up and avoid customers switching by making management more comfortable and less bureaucratic. This action is another gesture of empathy, solidarity and support from the company in the face of the difficult situation that the population of La Palma is experiencing and it becomes part of the special plan for attention and urgent measures launched by Endesa just a few days after the eruption began.
These measures already included not cutting anyone's electricity off, personalised payment plans to postpone or divide invoices and special measures for customers whose homes were directly affected by the eruption. There was already automatic action resulting in the termination of contracts and cancellation of invoices, from the date on which the eruption started, for those residents of La Palma who lost their homes as a result of the lava flow from the Cumbre Vieja volcano.
In total, Endesa cancelled the contract for 2,700 supply points which can be restored at no cost to the owners as soon as they decide to request the resumption of supply.
Actions on the ground to ensure supply
In addition to the measures to help mitigate the economic impact of the eruption, Endesa has been working tirelessly since the natural phenomenon occurred to guarantee the electricity supply on the island. The personnel responsible for managing the distribution networks has been strengthened to 40 people, compared to a staff of seven that normally cover the service.
The staff of e-distribución, Endesa's distribution subsidiary, is paying special attention to the lava flows that have already destroyed more than 130 kilometres of power lines, 85 medium voltage towers, 1,490 low-voltage wooden poles and 19 distribution centres owned by Endesa.
The teams on the ground intervene immediately when matter expelled by the volcano is about to reach the towers and other electrical infrastructures so as to avoid short circuits and supply problems in other parts of the island. They also provided support by moving teams to guarantee the electricity supply in La Palma at all times.
At specific times Endesa made flights with drones to make an assessment of the power lines in areas near the volcano where it was impossible to undertake reconnaissance on foot. Endesa staff constantly monitored those lines where the ring circuit had been damaged in order to detect any potential breakdown and proceed with the repair to guarantee the electricity supply at all times and incorporated a thermal imaging camera for this type of inspection.
A laboratory vehicle owned by e-distribución was also permanently moved to the Island to detect possible damage to underground cables as a result of the high surface temperatures resulting from the lava flow. Other measures adopted included an increase in the stock of medium and high voltage cables, poles and metal points available on the island, as well as moving two portable transformers.
Here you can consult all the customer service, telephone and video call points that we have set up for our customers on La Palma.
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. Our workforce numbers around 9,600 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, Europe’s largest electricity group.