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Juan Pedro Yllanes, Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Energy Transition, Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory, together with Martí Ribas, General Manager of Endesa in the Balearic Islands, and Jordi Jaume, Manager of the Alcudia power plant.
- The Vice-President of the Government of Balearic Islands today visited the energy transformation project under development at the Alcúdia thermal power plant, where as of tomorrow the two remaining plants will enter into limited production mode, therefore complying with European environmental legislation.
- Endesa is already dismantling two of its coal-fired power plants on the peninsula, Compostilla (Leon) and Andorra (Teruel), and is awaiting government approval for the As Pontes (Galicia) and Litoral (Almeria) plants.
- All the dismantling processes carried out by Endesa have been designed along circular economy principles, giving priority to local employment, and proposing a renewable future in those same areas.
Endesa is in the process of decarbonising its pioneering energy mix, in which it is prioritising the design of a circular economy for the coal plant dismantling processes, along with the promotion of local employment and the development of renewable projects, all with the aim of continuing to form part of the areas in which the company has historically carried on its activity. This process extends to the islands, specifically to the Balearic Islands where just today the Vice-President and Minister of Energy Transition and Productive Sectors, Juan Pedro Yllanes, accompanied by Martí Ribas, General Manager of Endesa in the Balearic Islands visited the energy transformation project at the site of the Alcúdia Power Plant.
This coal-fired power plant began its shutdown process on 31 December 2019, when in compliance with current European environmental legislation, groups 1 and 2 of the plant were shut down and groups 3 and 4 entered into operation limited to 1,500 hours/year. As of tomorrow, these last two groups of the Alcúdia plant will also enter into limited operation mode, to 500 hours/year.
Endesa is working in Alcúdia on the future project of the entire surroundings of the plant. A sustainable project focused on renewable energies, energy storage and which also includes the conversion of the generators of the coal groups into synchronous compensators necessary to give stability to the island's electricity system as the penetration of intermittent renewable energies increases. It is an innovative project, which avoids costs to the Spanish electricity system and is based on the circular economy. The aim is to give new life to equipment that otherwise would have to be dismantled and recycled.
Throughout this transformation process, Endesa has wanted to give priority to workers forming part of specific relocation plan and who have accepted the Voluntary Redundancy Agreement, as a result of this, the plant's workforce has fallen from 137 employees to 68.
Martí Ribas stressed that "at the moment the companies and the governments involved need to work together to overcome the inertias that even today make it difficult for us to move forward at the speed we would like towards decarbonisation in a firm and decisive manner".
Dismantling processes in the peninsula
Andorra (Teruel)
The first thermal power plant that Endesa began to dismantling the one in Andorra, in the province of Teruel. Since February this year, more than a hundred people have been working on dismantling this facility, applying circular economy criteria in all the actions being carried out within the perimeter of the thermal power plant's almost 500 hectares.
In total, it is estimated that 260,000 tons of debris will be removed, 90% of which will be recycled. The dismantling process in Andorra is at its peak this August, with 140 people working, 80% of whom are from the area and have been able to participate in these works thanks to the specialised training courses given by Endesa, this being one of the main premises of the company when designing the dismantling process: that the workers be employees of the ancillary companies of the plant or people from the surrounding area.
This dismantling process is accompanied by a plan for the future, the Futur-E, in which Endesa is working to develop 1,700 MW of renewable capacity in the area.
Compostilla (Leon)
Endesa has recently begun the dismantling works at the Compostilla thermal power plant and closure of its landfill site in Cubillos del Sil (Leon), this is also an operation of great technical complexity that will mobilise about 130 people, 80% of whom are from Bierzo, for 48 months.
While dismantling this historic plant, Endesa will apply circular economy principles, as it does in the rest of the plants in this process, which will not only provide employment for the local population, but also optimise the use of waste, estimated at around 270,000 tons, thanks to the selective demolition system so that it may be recovered and reused.
After more than 60 years of operation, this plant is now in the process of being demolished. Former employees and contractor companies are involved, who, thanks to the courses provided by Endesa and public institutions, have been able to turn their career around and continue working on this new process of the plant, which once dismantled, will continue to provide jobs thanks to the Futur-E Plan proposed by the company.
This Plan includes an international call for initiatives from which five projects have emerged as binding proposals to be installed on the current site of the plant. Endesa will also be directly engaged in three business plans: two of its own and a third included among the five initiatives mentioned. The proposals selected in the call are linked to the mobility sector, the provision of social and health services, two initiatives to manufacture industrial products and construction materials from the use of by-products from industrial and waste processes, and a hydrogen production plant with the involvement of Endesa as an industrial partner. Subsequently, Compostilla could become a benchmark for sustainable mobility, social and health services and the circular economy on a national scale. In addition, Compostilla's Futur-e Plan also foresees the development of 625 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy in the province of Leon.
As Pontes (Galicia)
At the As Pontes thermal power plant (A Coruña), Endesa is currently processing the government approval for dismantling, an action which, as in the case of other facilities, will offer employment opportunities for the personnel of the contracting companies for 48 months. With this in mind, Endesa will soon organise professional training courses.
Through the As Pontes Futur-e Plan there will also be a programme aimed at attracting business projects that are implemented on the land provided by Endesa, in order to alleviate the loss of the coal-fired generation activity. In the same vein, in addition to maintaining two hydropower plants and a gas plant in the area, the company will promote the creation of jobs with a large green hydrogen production complex, equipped with a 100 MW electrolyser and six wind farms (611 MW) that will supply the green electricity that the installation will need for its process. There are also plans to locate a large wind control centre and a logistics base in As Pontes that will provide spare parts to the network of farms that Endesa has in northwest Spain.
Litoral (Almeria)
The Litoral thermal power plant in Carboneras (Almería) is currently processing the pertinent approval that will allow its closure. Endesa has not been idle and since last year it has been working on a future plan to mitigate the impact of the closure with the aim of promoting economic activity in the area, providing education and training to employees and contractors in dismantling and implementing sustainability initiatives that allow Almeria to be placed at the forefront of sustainability.
In on-going talks with all the institutions, Endesa launched an international call for projects in collaboration with the University of Almeria to find the best options for the economic development of the area. Twenty-one expressions of interest from international, national, public entities, as well as individuals, related to circular economy, aquaculture, biofuels, tourism, logistics and construction, as well as other areas were submitted. The projects are being studied by experts and the final result of the analysis is expected in October.
In addition to these projects, Endesa has developed a Futur-E Plan based on the development of new renewable capacity for the area, with 1,750 megawatts of green power, mainly photovoltaic, to replace the 1,159 megawatts of power of the Litoral thermal power plant, and an estimated investment of 1,200 million euros.
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.