- The deadline for the receipt of applications to participate in Endesa's initiative to maintain economic and industrial development in Carboneras after the closure of the Litoral Thermal Power Plant will be 2pm on 26 March.
- During the last month there have been a number of public meetings with administrations and competent entities to discuss the new opportunities provided by the Futur-e Plan in the province of Almería for the reindustrialisation of the land where the plant and its port terminal once stood, based on the criteria of economic and environmental sustainability.
With a commitment to making a Fair Energy Transition in Carboneras after the closure and dismantling of the Litoral Thermal Power Plant, in 2020 Endesa launched the Futur-e Plan for these installations, which aims to replace this thermal power plant's generation capacity with clean and renewable technologies, as well as to create wealth and employment in Carboneras, through the development of an industrial project that meets social and environmental sustainability criteria.
This unique initiative in the decarbonisation process for Andalusia involves the creation of an international competition to find projects that will enable economic and industrial reactivation on the land previously occupied by the power station once Endesa discontinues the activity and dismantles the plant.
The deadline for the delivery of expressions of interest in this international competition is at 2pm next Friday, 26 March. All companies that are interested will be able to submit their applications to participate in a development project that will include the existing assets in the Litoral thermal power plant and the advantageous location of the Port Terminal.
In a similar initiative completed last year at the Compostilla plant (León), Endesa received five proposals for projects compatible with the territory and these have already obtained the support of the assessment committee chosen for this site.
For the development of the Futur-e Litoral Plan, Endesa is in constant contact with the main players involved in Almería, as well as with local, regional and national administrations, to coordinate the whole process with a view to creating shared value with all those involved and to achieving a fair transition towards new business models.
In this regard, during the last month Endesa has held a number of public meetings in which representatives of the political and business sphere were able to provide their outlook on this proposal to continue Endesa's commitment to the territory. In the words of Endesa's General Director in Andalusia and Extremadura, Rafael Sánchez, "Endesa is abandoning coal, but not Almería."
On 12 March 12, la Voz de Almería collaborated with Endesa to organise a webinar with the participation of the Minister of Inland Revenue and European Finance, Juan Bravo, and the Government's delegate in Andalusia, Sandra García. The event was led by the deputy director of La Voz de Almería, Antonia Sánchez, and addressed the possibilities offered by regional and state plans for the reactivation of the economy on the road to decarbonisation and new productive and business models.
On 17 March the University of Almería collaborated with Endesa to call a round table on "New Entrepreneurial Initiatives in Carboneras" that was attended by the mayor of Carboneras, José Luis Amérigo; the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Jerónimo Parra; the manager of Biosabor, Francisco Belmonte, and COEXPHAL, Luis M. Fernández; the secretary of the Almería Association of Economists, Carlos Cano; and the general director of PITA, Diego Clemente, to discuss potential initiatives that could be developed in the future in the area, in different economic activities, and that could contribute to the economic development of this environment.
Endesa's Futur-e plan in Litoral also includes launching an international competition to find a proposal for economic and labour reactivation in Carboneras. Endesa is projecting 1,500 megawatts of renewable energy in the province of Almería consisting mainly of photovoltaic power to replace the 1,159 megawatts that used to be produced by the Litoral thermal power plant. This will involve investing hundreds of millions of euros, new employment opportunities and training in renewable energies to improve the employability of the local population.
Phases of the international Futur-e Litoral competition
An initial selection will be made after all the applications to participate in the contest have been received, the deadline for which is Friday, 26 March. The competition will then enter a second phase when the proposals selected will need to present a project that should include an economic-financial business plan, a schedule and a sustainability assessment covering social, occupational and environmental impact.
An assessment commission will finally analyse the suitability of the offers submitted from a social and sustainability standpoint (those which pass the second phase). The objective of this body will be to assess the suitability of the projects for the needs of the area, their business feasibility and their ability to generate employment.
This competition will be organised by Endesa with the collaboration of the University of Almería with whom an agreement was signed in September 2020 for a team from the University to make technical and economic analyses of the process. The University of Almería will also be part of the assessment committee that will be set up during the final phase of the competition, together with the public administrations and Endesa for the purpose of analysing the suitability of the offers presented and assessing whether the projects meet the needs of the area.
The process will end with the selection of the projects validated and the signing of agreements with the promoters.
Main data for the location of the Litoral de Almería Thermal Power Plant
The Litoral thermal power plant is located in the municipality of Carboneras (Almería), 67 km from Almería. The land that will be made available for new projects amounts to 297,000 m2 and has access to the electricity and water network.
The site has excellent links via the national 341 with the A-7 motorway, which connects with Almeria and the rest of the main cities in Andalusia, as well as with the Mediterranean corridor. Almeria International Airport is 59 km away.
Opposite the power station there is a port terminal on which Endesa has a concession until 2037, and this would enable the logistical integration of the activities that can be undertaken at the site of the power station.
About Endesa
Endesa is the leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. It is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. It is an integrated business operation that encompasses everything from generation to marketing, and through Endesa X it provides added value services aimed at decarbonising the energy used in homes, companies, industries and government agencies. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and as a result decisively promotes the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power Spain, the electrification of the economy and Corporate Social Responsibility. We also work in the latter area through the Endesa Foundation. We have around 10,000 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.