"A just transition would be a failure, if in such transformation processes, environments are ignored"

Although the term ‘Just Transition’, was coined at the 1997 Kyoto Summit by a representative of Canadian oil sector workers, by the time of the Paris Agreements, governments and all agents recognized the importance of the social dimension in the process of transition to a low carbon economy.

"This transition must be accompanied by Just Transition plans because it would be a failure, if in such transformation processes, environments are ignored", proclaimed the general director of Institutional Relations and Regulation at Endesa, José Casas, at the inauguration of the Just Transition session - Towards a low carbon economy, which is an official event at COP25.

"They must be plans that do not affect the areas either in time or in form," added José Casas, who recalled that Endesa already has concrete plans for the Future in the areas already involved in the conversion processes from thermal generation to renewables.

Precisely, at the event held at Endesa’s headquarters, the Head of CSV and Sustainability at Endesa, Inmaculada Fiteni, gave details of those Future plans that the company has put forward in the two environments where the end of coal generation activity has been announced. Specifically, it involves Andorra, Teruel, and Compostilla in León, with a combined capacity of 2,153 MW, whose closures were officially requested at the end of 2018.

The objective is to help mitigate the impact of closures on the local community while promoting value creation and new social and economic opportunities. These plans are based, in addition to the investment in the development of green energy projects, on four main axes. “The improvement of the employability of the local population through training in renewables, the search for employment for the affected personnel, the promotion of sustainability of the municipality and the promotion of economic activity and employment around renewable growth,” are the keys, explained Inmaculada Fiteni.

That is why it is vital, "to involve local agents to know exactly what specific needs they have and to try to offer initiatives that satisfy everyone, such as models of circular economy and the creation of shared value, (known as CSV, Creating Shared Value)".

Among other actions, the plans developed for both sites include job creation for the next four years, 250 direct jobs coming from dismantling, about 5,100 jobs in construction work for new renewable projects in the next 6 years, and about 168 jobs involved in the operation and maintenance of new green projects for 25 years.

For the specific case of Andorra, the company has put forward a project for the construction of what would be the largest renewable plant in Europe with integration of solar, and wind with an associated storage of 160 MW, and a synchronization system that would turn it into a unique reference project in innovation.

In the case of Compostilla, due to the uniqueness of the environment, in addition to the construction of renewable projects for about 390 MW, “the Future Plan is involved with the search for business initiatives at the plant's location for its re-industrialization”. To this end, Endesa has opened an international project competition, the so-called Futur-E project, a programme whose objective is that companies, institutions and other public and private agents can present viable alternatives, through a participatory, transparent and open process, to look for sustainable investment and job creation projects at the plant sites.

The speakers at the Seminar Day, (which included Mariano Morazzo, Head of Climate Change and Renewable Energy Policies at Enel; Alicia Torrego, manager of CONAMA Foundation; Lennys Rivera, representative of Climate Change Program, WWF; Laura Martín, advisor for Employment and Fair Transition, at the Ministry for Ecological Transition; and Cristina Rivero, Head of the Industry, Energy and Environment Area at CEOE) all agreed on the importance of the need to integrate and connect with local actors in these transition processes to take advantage of opportunities in renewable growth and storage systems and give clear signals on where action can be taken.