- Today, Catalan Minister Núria Parlon brought to a close a technical conference held in Igualada which reviewed a decade of coordination and joint efforts in high-risk situations and forest fires
- In 2024, the Alfa Plan was active for nearly half the year (150 days), resulting in the temporary shutdown of the automatic reconnection mechanism on more than 27,000 medium- and high-voltage lines to prevent possible fires.
Today, the Minister of Home Affairs and Public Safety of the Government of Catalonia, Núria Parlon, officially closed the technical conference ‘Ten years of joint work in fire prevention,’ held in Igualada to mark the tenth anniversary of the cooperation agreement between the Corps of Rural Agents and Endesa to prevent forest fires. The event served both to take stock of progress made from 2015 to the present, and to focus on future challenges. Both groups reaffirmed their commitment to continue working together to protect and preserve the natural environment, especially given that climate change has increased the number of days with a high risk of fire in Catalonia.
The minister highlighted the value of the agreement between the Corps of Rural Agents and Endesa, stating that ‘it should serve as a model for emergency management in all its phases, especially in prevention, which is crucial.’ She also emphasised ‘the importance of having solid and robust structures, as well as the capacity of public and private collaboration to ensure the effectiveness of prevention efforts.’
Meanwhile, Elisenda Pérez Esteve, Director General of the Rural Agents, added: ‘We are rigorously fulfilling this agreement on both sides, and it’s working: the number of fires that power lines could cause has been reduced, and there is effective collaboration among all those involved and the Corps of Rural Agents.’
Francesc Alemany, director of Endesa’s distribution grid in Catalonia, also spoke during the event, stating: ‘70% of our electrical infrastructure crosses forested areas, which requires us to act with the utmost responsibility to minimise any risk.’ Alemany added that ‘as a new development, and thanks to digitalisation, we have implemented a proactive alert system that notifies municipalities when they are impacted by the Alfa Plan, informing them of the protocol to follow in case of supply interruptions. The goal is to spread awareness that preserving the natural environment is a shared responsibility and that we must adjust the daily management of the electricity grid to the daily fire risk map prepared by the Directorate General of Rural Agents.’
Additionally, a roundtable discussion was held, moderated by Jaume Torralba, head of the Rural Agents’ Barcelona regional area. Participants included Elisenda Pérez, director general of the Rural Agents; Marta Cassany, director general of Civil Protection; Jaume Minguell, director general of Forests and Environmental Management; and Francesc Alemany, director of Endesa’s distribution grid in Catalonia. Cassany reviewed the integration of the Alfa Plan into the INFOCAT Plan during the 2024 campaign.
Josep Antoni Mur, chief inspector of the Corps of Rural Agents, had previously explained how the Alfa Plan operates and its importance in preventing forest fires. He highlighted its high level of public awareness and its key role in raising consciousness about fire risk at any given time.
Sergio Delgado, deputy director of Civil Protection programmes at the Generalitat, delivered a presentation on how the Alfa Plan is integrated into Catalonia’s special emergency plan for forest fires (INFOCAT). Delgado emphasised how integrating the Alfa Plan into INFOCAT adds an additional layer of prevention that allows authorities to adjust the phases in fire risk management.
Xavier Castro, from the Forest Fire Risk Analysis Service of the Department of Agriculture, explained the evolution of fire risk since the major fires of 1994 and 1998, and the importance of the fire risk map they prepare daily. Since last year, this map features a municipal version that offers greater detail and has significantly streamlined the management of permits for various activities. The Department of Agriculture is responsible for preparing the daily fire risk forecast in Catalonia and for authorising activities that involve fire or pose a fire risk, such as burning plant residues, setting off fireworks, or working with angle grinders, among others.
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The Alfa Plan as a benchmark
The Alfa Plan, an operational procedure implemented by the Corps of Rural Agents to monitor, prevent, and manage risky activities during forest fire danger situations, was active at levels 2, 3, or 4 for a total of 150 days in 2024. This amounts to nearly half the year, or 3 out of every 7 days. These figures reflect the increasing risk of fires in Catalonia, within a context of climate change that heightens the need for preventive measures.
One of the key measures included in the protocol is the temporary shutdown of the automatic reconnection system for electrical lines crossing forested areas affected by levels 2, 3, and 4 of the Alfa Plan. This system, which normally makes it easier to restore the service following an outage, is deactivated on high-risk days as a preventive measure. This represents a substantial change in the management of electricity infrastructure.
In 2024, this measure was applied to over 27,000 lines (22,130 medium-voltage and 4,892 high-voltage) crossing forested areas. For 246 of these lines, it was necessary for technicians to conduct on-foot inspections section by section to ensure all safety conditions were met before authorising reconnection from Endesa’s Control Centre.
An agreement suited to current times
The first collaboration agreement between Endesa and the then Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food was signed in 2015. Its aim was to coordinate efforts to reduce the risk of fires. Since then, the Alfa Plan by the Corps of Rural Agents has been the key tool for managing fire risk on the high- and medium-voltage distribution grid. In 2023, the agreement was renewed between the Department of Home Affairs and the electricity company to continue to coordinate efforts on power lines located in areas where level 2, 3, or 4 of the Alfa Plan is activated in dangerous situations.
Under the agreement, Endesa inspects the sections of medium- and high-voltage power lines running through forested areas within the Priority Protection Perimeters (PPP) prior to the start of the fire prevention campaign in Catalonia. As part of this preventive action, Endesa also collaborates with landowners where the lines run to carry out any necessary felling and pruning in order to maintain firebreak corridors.
Preventive measures
The Corps of Rural Agents and Endesa have also established an operational protocol during the fire prevention campaign. It includes:
- Information exchange between the electricity company and the operational Corps regarding potential activations and deactivations of the Alfa Plan based on the level of fire risk.
- Removal of the automatic reconnection mechanism on medium- and high-voltage lines affected by levels 2, 3, and 4 of the Alfa Plan to avoid potential fires during high-risk periods.
- When incidents occur, Endesa’s team, in coordination with the Rural Agents, physically inspects the line to ensure there are no risks to the grid, the environment, or emergency personnel.
- Once the inspection is completed and the potential incident is identified and isolated, the line is reconnected from the Control Centre.
- Special attention and surveillance are given to the Priority Protection Perimeters (PPP) due to the particularities of their forest mass.
The agreement also includes a protocol for action and coordination in case of an active fire. In such cases, the Rural Agents will support the company’s technical staff so they can work safely to quickly restore the electricity supply. It also defines necessary disconnection measures to facilitate safe firefighting operations.
A joint monitoring commission has been established between both parties, and training and informative sessions are planned between the Corps of Rural Agents and Endesa’s Control Centre and distribution technicians in Catalonia.
The Alfa Plan
The Alfa Plan is the operational procedure established by the Corps of Rural Agents to define the actions of fire surveillance and prevention personnel in response to situations of potential forest fire risk.
These situations are classified on a scale of 5 levels, from 0 to 4, with 0 representing low risk and 4 representing extreme risk. The activation of a specific level entails mobilising personnel and carrying out specific preventive actions.
When planning any activities in the countryside, it is advisable to check the Alfa Plan level currently activated by the Rural Agents in the area. The interactive map can be found on the following website: https://interior.gencat.cat/es/arees_dactuacio/agents-rurals/pla-alfa/index.html
About Endesa
Endesa is the leading electric company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. It is also ranked as the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an integrated business model spanning electricity generation, distribution, and retail. Furthermore, the company offers value-added services focused on the electrification of energy use for households, businesses, and public administrations. Endesa is committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and corporate social responsibility. In the latter area, it also works through the Endesa Foundation. Our team comprises around 9,000 employees. Endesa is part of Enel Group, the largest European utility by ordinary EBITDA [1].
[1] Enel’s leadership in the different categories is defined by comparison with competitors’ FY2024 data. Fully state-owned operators are not included.