Endesa has received the official certificate for closure of the Litoral thermal power plant located in the municipality of Carboneras in the province of Almería. This document enables the implementation of the necessary mechanisms to begin the effective dismantling of the power station following circular economy criteria, training specialist personnel and generating synergies with different entities in the area to which parts of the plant will be donated.
"This document is quite a milestone," said Juan Luis Redondo, director of the power station, who pointed out "that we already have everything ready to start abandoning coal and opening a new future for this area, which we do not abandon, but simply change our activity. Decarbonisation is a reality and now we will work on dismantling and choosing the projects that will shape the future of the area."
"The closure of the Litoral power station is an important step in Endesa's decarbonisation strategy, and a new stage in the construction of a future project is now beginning. Over the next few days we will initiate the dismantling of the power station, giving continuity to employment, and we have a renewable energy development plan for the area that will follow the path of sustainable development, "said Rafael González, Endesa's General Director of Generation.
History of the power station
The Litoral power station began operating in 1985, when Group 1 came into operation, joined by a second Group in 1997. This installation employed a total of 120 workers directly and who are now retired or have been relocated having received specific training courses.
During its useful life, the installation came to produce more than 180,000 GWh, equivalent to the energy consumption of Andalusia for 4 and a half years and became a benchmark when in 2014, with an investment of 240 million euros, environmental improvements were made that put it at the forefront of this technology worldwide.
Litoral has also hosted projects such as Microalgae in 2006, a plant to study the uses of microalgae for capturing and fixing CO2, and it is precisely this project that will continue to be developed thanks to a recent agreement signed between Endesa and Algavillage that will give continuity to this experimental plant for 10 more years.
Endesa and Algavillage that will give continuity to this experimental plant for 10 more years.
Futur-e Litoral
With the start of the dismantling of the power station, the Futur-e Plan on which Endesa has been working since 2020 continues, and which is aimed at mitigating the impact of the closure on the area. This involved launching an international competition to search for projects that will enable economic development on the power station's grounds and its port terminal, once dismantling has been completed.
The competition led to the presentation of 14 proposals that are now being analysed by a mixed committee of experts including representatives of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, the Regional Government of Andalusia, the Town Council of Carboneras, the Port Authority of Almería, the University of Almería and Endesa itself.
This team is responsible for studying the 14 projects that have been submitted to the Futur-e Plan international competition and address issues related to the circular economy, aquaculture, biofuels, tourism and logistics. To analyse the suitability of the offers submitted, the group of experts will pay special attention to the assessment of their suitability for the requirements of the area, their business feasibility, their capacity for generating employment and sustainability within the municipality.
Endesa not only organised an international competition to search for projects, the company will also install some 1,200 megawatts of renewable power in the area. This will mainly be photovoltaic, which will replace the 1,159 megawatts of power produced by the Litoral thermal power plant so as to replace the capacity generated by this thermal power plant with clean and renewable technologies. 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.
Endesa is in constant contact with the main players involved in developing the Litoral Futur-e Plan, as well as with local, regional and national administrations, to coordinate the whole process in order to create shared value with all those involved and to achieve a fair transition towards new business models.
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.