- Endesa has been awarded the connection rights for 224 MVA to install 365 MWp of solar energy, 264 MW of wind energy, with integrated storage for 168.6 MW and a 500 kW electrolyser for the production of green hydrogen.
- It is located in the Abrantes Region, and consists of an economically sustainable project, which does not depend on external subsidy, and in which Endesa will invest 600 million euros.
- The success of Endesa's bid was mainly the result of the social and economic development projects in the area, since the company made a commitment to creating 75 jobs, as well as providing 12,000 hours of training and support for SMEs to integrate their projects in the area.
Through its subsidiary Endesa Generación Portugal, Endesa today won the Pego fair transition tender in Portugal with a project that combines the hybridisation of renewable sources and their storage in what will become the largest battery in Europe, and incorporates social and economic development initiatives.
Specifically, the company has been awarded the connection rights for 224 MVA to install 365 MWp of solar energy, 264 MW of wind energy with integrated storage for 168.6 MW and a 500 kW electrolyser for the production of green hydrogen. The hybridisation of these technologies will optimise production and achieve a high load factor. This will place Portugal at the forefront in Europe with regard to the development and use of these energies.
In addition to the development of renewable energy sources, Endesa also presented a plan which involved all local agents, studying and analysing their needs and creating a tailor-made economic and social growth plan for the area, with the creation of 75 jobs and the provision of 12,000 hours of training and support for SMEs to integrate their projects in the area and generate new opportunities for growth and wealth for the Abrantes Region.
"Endesa not only remains committed to Portugal, as it always has been, but we are doing so with a project to which we have dedicated a great deal of hard work and care, working to develop an innovative renewable development model in which local communities play a real role," said Rafael González, Endesa's General Manager of Generation, who described the winning project as "the renewable model of the future; we are sure that this proposal will be seen as a turning point in the sector."
Renewable energy projects
The project presented by Endesa will involve a total investment of 600 million euros. It is an investment that is not subject to external aid since it is an economically sustainable initiative.
This investment will be for the construction of new solar (365 MWp) and wind (264 MW) capacity under a hybridisation regime supported by a storage system with batteries with a total capacity of 168.6 MW. The purpose of this battery system is to make the most of renewable production through the dynamic and optimised injection of the energy stored into the Public Service Electricity Network (RESP), reducing energy losses and optimising its use. A 500 kW electrolyser will be installed that would come into operation to use surpluses that cannot be managed by the storage system.
This innovative model was made possible by the advanced Portuguese legislation on the hybridisation and storage of electricity and will enable almost 6,000 hours of production to be obtained, which is far superior to the operation of any conventional thermal plant.
Social project
From the outset, the Endesa project was intended to be a collaboration with the Abrantes Region and with the workers involved in the closure of the Pego coal plant. This is why the budget for the company's proposal included a project for training and social-economic development in the region.
Endesa has designed a plan for more than 12,000 hours training, which will enable the professional retraining of more than 2,000 people, and the possibility for the unemployed in the area to get jobs in the future. This training plan includes courses that will range from the construction and assembly of solar plants, to the operation and maintenance of renewable plants. It also includes activities in the primary sector, as these will become part of the activity at all of Endesa installations, which will incorporate agriculture, livestock and beekeeping amongst the solar panels. Finally, it will include courses in transversal skills such as administration and digital tools. These initiatives will be directed particularly towards the unemployed in the Abrantes Region who are unemployed, and priority access to these courses will be given to the former plant's workers.
This training be essential to address Endesa's new renewable projects in Pego, as qualified workers will be needed. Endesa is committed to creating 75 jobs directly and permanently in the Abrantes Region. The company is also committed to directing the employment primarily towards former workers at the Pego Power Plant.
The Abrantes Region will also become a biodiversity area, where technological projects will be hybridised with the primary and secondary sectors. Endesa has already been working on this commitment for a number of years in other installations where it has proved to be feasible.
This approach, known as Creating Shared Value (CSV), which Endesa uses in all of its projects, aims to maximise these values for the local environment, through a series of initiatives that are developed as part of a participatory process with local agents. Precisely what makes Endesa's project in Pego unique is the involvement of local SMEs that will develop their business model in the area with specific projects. Endesa has already received letters expressing interest from 8 local partners to develop their activity in the area.
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 generation, distribution and marketing business. Through Endesa X it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy usage in homes, companies, industries and public administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribution and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR-related matters. Our workforce numbers around 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, Europe’s largest electricity group.