Endesa has presented its future plan for Andorra that will create 500 permanent and lasting jobs in the area within 5 years

• Endesa's General Manager for Generation and the company's General Manager for Sustainability presented the plan for the future accompanied by the main protagonists.
• Andorra will go from producing energy using coal, to generating clean energy with an installed capacity of 1,843.6 MW as a result of 7 hybridised renewable projects, 2 storage projects with batteries, a green hydrogen project and a synchronous compensator.
• This renewable development is accompanied by a social-economic plan for the area that aims to generate employment and value in the area surrounding what was once one of the largest thermal power plants in Spain.

Today in Andorra, Endesa's General Manager for Generation, Rafael González, the General Manager for the Sustainability of the company, María Malaxechevarría, and the General Manager of Endesa in Aragón, Ignacio Montaner presented details of the renewable project and its social-economic support plan for the area surrounding what was once one of the largest thermal power plants in Spain.

After winning the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge's tender for the hub in Andorra, Endesa's two representatives were accompanied not only by the Director of the Institute for Fair Transition, Laura Martín, the Vice President of the Regional Government of Aragón. Arturo Aliaga and the main institutions of Aragón, but above all by representatives of about a hundred companies, SMEs, and social entities, which are part of Endesa's future plan for Andorra.

"Today is a very important day for us, because those of us here present firmly believe in this future project for Andorra on which we have worked for 3 years and in which we are going to invest more than €1,500 million", said Endesa's General Manager for Generation during his speech. "This plan includes renewable energies and real future plans in the three sectors of the economy that, once all the renewable installations have been built and the entire socioeconomic plan has been put into operation, will enable 500 people to have fixed and lasting employment in the area surrounding Andorra in 2028", Rafael González pointed out.

For Endesa's General Manager for Sustainability, María Malaxechevarría, this Endesa plan for Andorra "is not just theory, it is a reality with which more than 30 entities in the area have collaborated with innovative and unique projects, which aim to generate employment by helping to diversify the economy in the surrounding area. It includes a training plan that will benefit about 5,500 people in the next 3 years, and an agreement with 9 municipalities for the development of energy communities that will enable these towns in the area to be at the forefront".

Renewable development

The thermal power plant in Teruel (Andorra) has been in operation for more than four decades and has forged a deep-rooted bond with the area. Once Endesa ordered the closure of the plant in 2019, the decommissioning process began with a plan for the future of the region that was presented in detail today and that includes the implementation of new industry and the development of new power, in this case, renewable.

The renewable development proposed by Endesa for Andorra does not only involve the construction of new wind and solar capacity, but also the hybridisation of these projects and storage with two battery plants, which makes them unique since they will make it possible to get the most out of these technologies, with higher quality and energy security and a balanced service by producing as many hours as possible. The new renewable plants will be located in Albalate del Arzobispo, Híjar, Samper de Calanda, Castelnou, Andorra, Calanda, Alcañiz, La Puebla de Híjar, Jatiel, and Alcorisa.

In addition to these projects there will also be a 15 MW electrolyser that will enable the management of surplus renewable energy for the production of green hydrogen that will help decarbonise industries in the surrounding area, the construction of an electrolyser factory, and a synchronous compensator that will enable this renewable energy to be discharged more frequently which will improve the performance of the electricity transport grid.

Through its renewable subsidiary Enel Green Power España, Endesa will invest more than €1,500 million in the construction of these installations, and together with the social-economic plan, will generate a total of more than 6,300 jobs, of which more than 370 will be directly linked to the renewable project. To these will be added other stable long-term jobs once the entire social-economic development plan has been deployed. All this makes a total of 500 permanent, long-term jobs that will be generated by 2028 under this plan developed by Endesa and its 30 partners, which far exceeds the direct and indirect jobs generated by the thermal power plant.

These renewable initiatives will have one more hybridisation, this time with the primary sector, since all installations will be open to this type of activity. Firstly, to the shepherds in the area so sheep will help in the natural clearing of the land. Endesa has already signed preliminary agreements with Hermanos Gracia Crusellas, a sheep farming company with deep roots in the area for almost 100 years; Luis Artigas Alloza, a company dealing mainly in fur sheep skin and which has been a benchmark in the area for more than 5 decades; and Jaime Lorenz Obon and Jorge Colomer Garcia sheep agricultural-livestock companies with a significant presence in the area for several generations.

There will also be agrovoltaic activity in the parks of Calanda, Santa María (in the municipality of Samper de Calanda) and San Macario (in the municipality of Andorra), which will enjoy the collaboration of Cierpe for the cultivation of cereals, and Natur Nature for aromatics. These crops will incorporate innovation and technology components for the sector with the collaboration of companies such as Biorizon Biotech and John Deere, with which pre-agreements have been signed.

John Deere, a world leader in the agricultural machinery sector, with an important presence in the area, will provide the sensorization of agrovoltaic crops, by means of sensors and mechanisms for monitoring different crop parameters (soil humidity, temperature, cereal development, etc.). Biorizon Biotech, a Spanish company focussing on the field of biotechnology, which will contribute its experience in the use of microalgae as fertilisers in intensive and organic agriculture, developing unique techniques and processes aimed at enhancing the growth and protection of plants and fruits.

And solar apiaries with local beekeepers for the production of solar honey from the 200 hives that will be installed in renewable plants with the same shared value approach as that practised by the Las Corchas y los Naranjos plant (in Carmona), a model for success acknowledged within the sector. In the photovoltaic installations where the solar apiaries are located, beekeeping courses will be given, as well as beekeeping activities that will promote local trade. With this in mind, collaboration agreements have already been reached with two local beekeepers: Luas Miel and La Cerrada.

This integration between sectors has also led Endesa to combine this activity with environmental monitoring of the area surrounding the renewable installations that will enable actions to be taken aimed at maintaining the biodiversity of this environment.

Social-economic support plan - Primary sector

Hybridisation between renewables and the primary sector is accompanied by a series of unique projects in this sector, which will enable the use of the territory's endogenous resources, under agreements with different local entities.

One of them is the Aragonese entity Apadrina un Olivo (Sponsor an Olive Tree), with which Endesa will collaborate to expand its activity through the "From the Solar Garden to the Table" initiative. A project to produce and sell olive oil by restoring more than 50,000 abandoned olive trees in mining areas and manufacturing preserved products with the oil obtained.

The traditional solar farms for "Apadrina un Olivo" will be located in the municipalities of Híjar, Andorra, Calanda, Oliete, Alacón and Samper de Calanda. The oil mill is located in Oliete and a tasting shop will be opened in Andorra. This project also envisages refurbishing 5 homes in the area to enable the settlement of families that will be directly linked to this project's activity to promote the establishment of rural population.

This project will generate permanent employment with different degrees of temporality for a hundred qualified people, so not only will employment be created in the rural environment, but a sector that was in decline in the area will be reactivated. This activity will be replicated in Portugal, where Endesa will also develop a future project for the area surrounding the Pego thermal power plant where this initiative will play a leading role in the primary sector in the area.

In addition to the recovery of olive trees that will be undertaken by "Apadrina un Olivo", Endesa will also protect the 150 olive trees that are in the vicinity of the Andorra plant, and to do so it will collaborate with ATADI, a non-profit association declared to be of public utility that works with people with disabilities in the province of Teruel.

They will be responsible for developing the project "Olivar y Viverismo Inclusivo" (Inclusive Olive Grove and Nurseries) that will be undertaken on the current site of the coal-fired plant taking advantage of some of its installations with a circular economy approach: Recovery and use of existing olive trees in plots owned by Endesa adjacent to the oil production plant, nursery activity for the cultivation of quince trees, and finally manufacturing and processing of preserves using the oil produced as a base. Finally, a nursery will be used to germinate, plant and maintain the forest screen for the renewable plants that will be built by Endesa under this plan.

Also on the land around the power plant, Endesa has signed an agreement with Natur Nature. The project consists of undertaking agricultural activity involving the cultivation of aromatic plants on 18 hectares of land owned by Endesa's renewable subsidiary, Enel Green Power España, on plots adjacent to the thermal power plant. These aromatic plant crops will be transported by Natur Nature to their nearest distillation plant for the production and subsequent marketing of essential oils. This area will also be used to create a number of training workshops on agricultural tasks, under the auspices of the Rural School for Sustainable Energy.

Endesa plans to build a plant for the storage, processing and supply of chips for biomass heating, and it will also be used as a logistics centre. With regard to circular economy, this installation will be located in one of the warehouses owned by Endesa in the thermal power plant and the raw material used for this activity will include that which comes from clearing and cleaning forest round the photovoltaic plants included in this proposal, and the production is aimed at the domestic and industrial market. To manage this plant Endesa has signed an agreement with Forestal del Maestrazgo.

Social-economic support plan - Secondary sector

Industrial development is also one of the key factors in Endesa's project. Companies such as Soltec, Pretersa, and Capillar IT SL, as well as H2B2, and institutions such as the Hydrogen Foundation in Aragón are collaborating with the company's commitment to the future of Andorra.

In this regard, agreements have already been reached with Soltec for the construction of a solar tracker factory in the area around the thermal power plant. This factory will generate 40 permanent jobs once it is operational. Those responsible for Soltec attended the presentation of the plan in Andorra and said how proud they were of "being Endesa's industrial partner in a project like this, which will enable us to supply our solar trackers for the largest project in Europe".

The same was said by Pretersa, with whom Endesa has also reached an agreement for the expansion of the precast concrete industry located in La Puebla de Híjar, which will generate another 80 jobs in the area, at least 30% of which will be for women.

Another of the industrial initiatives developed for Andorra is the construction of a second-life centre for wind turbines that will generate 32 permanent jobs, and a circular economy centre for recycling and the search for new uses for elements and equipment from renewable power stations when they reach the end of their useful life, and this will generate another 15 jobs. These new installations respond to the needs of the renewable sector and contribute to the circularity of these industrial elements.

Innovation is also present with the Andorra Smart Rural digital platform project that will be developed by Capillar IT SL from Zaragoza. It will generate 24 jobs in the area to develop a project to optimise the logistics chain for companies in the agri-food sector in Andorra and the surrounding area to connect production centres with urban consumption centres by means of transport solutions that do not emit CO2. This will involve the creation of a digital tool based on collaborative logistics that integrates agricultural producers' supply, connecting them with the existing demand in the large wholesale consumption points.

This is another step towards the digitalisation of the area surrounding Andorra together with the development of 10 energy communities. These are Andorra, Híjar, Albalate del Arzobispo, Puebla de Híjar, Jatiel, Castelnou, Ejulve, Molinos, Alacón and Alcorisa. In these towns, self-consumption plants will be installed on 40 public sites with a total power of 3,000 kWp that will provide electricity for 3,800 beneficiaries and promote autonomy and energy efficiency in these localities.

As part of this accompaniment plan, an agreement of intent was also reached with the H2B2 for the installation of an electrolyser manufacturing centre in the area around of Andorra. This manufacturing centre will generate 15 permanent jobs once it is operational.

The Hydrogen Foundation in Aragón will play an important role in the 15 MW green hydrogen project proposed in Andorra because it will not only participate in the design of the electrolyser, it will also organise training in green hydrogen technologies to the employees who participate in the construction and operation of the project.

Social-economic support plan - Tertiary sector

In the area around Andorra there will not only be industrial and rural activity, there is also a future project featuring the promotion of local commerce and tourism. Endesa was also looking to promote the tertiary sector as it is a key factor with regard to economic activity and employment in the area.

In this regard, one of the most significant agreements was the extension to the Spa in Ariño, which will enable the creation of at least 27 permanent jobs in the area, whilst serving as a tourist attraction for the region. A rural promotion project was also developed, with a leading role played by entities such as Apicultura La Cerrada and its Museum of Beekeeping in Andorra, with the involvement of the Hotel Santa Bárbara and the Arkha rural accommodation, consisting of the promotion of sustainable tourism initiatives.

Endesa is also committed to building a Birdlife Research and Information Centre that will promote high-level research and its main objective will be knowledge about and study of the species to be found in this area. The purpose of these studies is to enable the implementation of measures to improve biodiversity in the area around Andorra with regard to the planned renewable developments. The aim of this centre is to become an incentive for tourism and the educational community in the surrounding area.

To this we should add the implementation of the "Milla verde de la transición energética" (Green Mile for Energy Transition), a signposted hiking route around the perimeter of the plant that will connect the renewable installations and the primary sector initiatives in the social-economic plan. It will employ local guides and it will include tastings of local products.

In nearby Puebla de Híjar there is also the Val de Zafan Route, a benchmark tourist route in the area as a result of conditioning the Val de Zafán railway line as a Greenway by installing a photovoltaic kit on the Torica Bridge to provide efficient lighting right through the La Mina Tunnel.

And as inclusivity is a condition for all these initiatives, Andorra will become the third inclusive "pictopueblo" (town with pictograms) in Spain as a result of the installation of a series of pictograms in the urban centre of Andorra. This will be undertaken in coordination with the Town Council, as a municipality sensitive to disability, providing visibility and attraction for a type of tourism known as "inclusive tourism" which is very much on the rise.

Training plan

Endesa is supporting this plan with a programme of more than 300,000 hours of training related to the activity that will be generated by the renewable plants. It is planned to benefit more than 5,000 people with preference given to the most vulnerable groups in rural environments such as young people, women and the unemployed.

The training plan consists of a first block in renewable energies, which will consist of a number of courses, for solar panel assemblers, the operation and maintenance of renewable facilities and the installation of solar power for self-consumption. And a second block of training in activities for the primary sector, which will be organised in collaboration with benchmark entities in the area such as AFAMMER (Association of Families and Women in the Rural Environment), ASAJA (Association of Young Agricultural Workers), CFP San Blas and the Juan XXIII Foundation and ATADI for people with disabilities. More than 30 training modules have been defined, ranging from organic farming, aromatics, e-commerce, digital cards, beekeeping, etc. Finally, training will also be organised with regard to inclusion, with a training programme designed together with the Juan XXIII Foundation for people with disabilities and based on clearing and composting.

Under the name of Rural School for Sustainable Energy and in collaboration with all these entities, different editions will be launched and scheduled for the 2023-2025 period.

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. A new business line has also been created, Endesa X Way, fully dedicated to electric mobility. 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, the largest electricity group in Europe.