- The operation will generate approximately 16,900 tonnes of waste, to be recovered as filling material thanks to its inert nature, while the iron will be separated to give it a second life.
- The process of dismantling the Compostilla plant, at the hand of specialist staff (80% of whom are from the area surrounding El Bierzo) has now passed the 50% mark.
Today, Endesa proceeded with the simultaneous blasting of the two cooling towers and the former group 3 chimney at the Compostilla thermal power plant, another step forwards in the process of closing the coal plants that the company has embarked upon and that will be completed in December 2025.
Demolishing the two cooling towers and the former chimney by blasting poses a technical challenge. In this sense, to undertake this work, an exhaustive procedure was designed with a view to guaranteeing absolute safety and effective demolition conditions. This prevention approach is being employed in all the processes ongoing at the plant, which also aims to give a second life to at least 90% of the waste generated as part of these works.
The process of demolishing the towers was particularly complex, as it was supported by a specific project as part of which the conditions of the preparatory works were subject to a structural analysis, as well as the dynamics of the demolition process, the sequence of activities, directions in which material would fall, measures to mitigate impacts, measurement of vibrations and the safety of all affected elements and structures.
Work began on these pre-demolition works in June 2022 with the removal and management of the equipment, as part of which the heat exchange process took place, essentially consisting of placing plastic filling materials inside. Work was also performed to condition and separate the external part from the internal part, the elements attached to the tower were uncoupled and the equipment located in the affected area was dismantled.
As part of the blasting of the two towers, 1,176 holes were punctured with 100 holes punctured in the chimney, filled in with a total of 224 kg of explosives, placed on the pillars of the towers and at the base of the chimney using holes drilled strategically to direct falling debris in the planned direction. In the project, a safety radius of 400 metres was set up from each of the structures.
The detonation of the two towers and the chimney was performed in a sequence (in 4 seconds, all the explosives were detonated) to minimise ground vibrations and material projections.
The demolition generated approximately 16,900 tonnes of waste (mostly concrete), which will be managed in accordance with environmental regulations. These waste will be recovered on site to be used as filling material, given its inert nature, having previously separated the iron that will be removed for recovery and given a new use.
To minimise the impact of the dust generated by the explosion, irrigation and water misting systems have been installed around the perimeter of the towers and inside the chimney, which will remain in service even at the time of detonation.
Technical data
The two towers at the Compostilla thermal power plant has identical measurements and geometric features: 110 m in height, 83 m in diameter at the base and 50 m in diameter at the top. Having been constructed using concrete, each weighed approximately 7,100 tonnes. In turn, the chimney measured 120 m in height, 10 in diameter at its base and 6.5 in diameter at the top. Also constructed using concrete, it weighed approximately 2,700 tonnes.
They were a core component of the steam production cycle that moved the turbines to generate electricity. Their function was to cool the hot water from the condensers in the energy production units (where the steam from the water-steam cycle condenses once it has passed through the turbine). In turn, the chimney was used for the final evacuation of the group 3 combustion gases once the corresponding treatment processes had been completed.
The circular hyperboloid shape of the cooling towers allowed air to flow from the base upwards without the need for any air to be introduced using external energy. This is how the heat was transferred, as part of a thermal exchange between the water to be cooled and the air, giving rise to the characteristic plume of water vapour that could be seen when they were in operation.
Compostilla thermal plant
When the thermal power plant was officially taken out of service in June 2020, it was in three sections, generating a total power of 1051.7 megawatts (MW), which had come into operation between 1972 and 1985. Two other older sections were already in the process of dismantling, after having been in service since the early 60s. The plant's installations occupy about 375 hectares, which can clearly be differentiated as three separate areas: one that houses the electricity generation sections, another that houses the transformation parks and auxiliary installations, and the coal deposit with a landfill for non-hazardous waste. Groups 1 and 2 had already been dismantled, while work remains ongoing to dismantle groups 3, 4 and 5 in all areas, with a view to completing the ground-level dismantling process in May 2025, before the subsequent soil remediation process in December 2025.
Future Plan
The process of dismantling the Compostilla plant is a necessary step in shaping the future of this area. Works have now passed the 50% stage and specialist staff are involved in them, 80% of whom are professionals from the area surrounding El Bierzo.
Once the dismantling work is over, the area previously occupied by the plant will be available to accommodate new industrial ventures. To this end, Endesa started work on the design of a plan for the future, Futur-e, for the area as soon as its closure was announced, in the search for business projects selected by an assessment committee made up of experts from the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the regional government of Castilla y León, the mayors of Ponferrada and Cubillos del Sil, the University of León and Endesa itself.
The Future-e projects were selected as part of an international competition to promote the implementation of companies in El Bierzo that address the end of thermal generation activities, pursuant to the goals set out by Brussels. This process also includes the organisation of professional training courses for the local population, as well as the prioritisation of the region's workforce in tasks to dismantle the thermal power plant. Part of this training is now complete, with the rest to be delivered at the request of the sponsors of business projects.
Endesa is also working on other projects including: the energy alliance with Tvitec to develop a glass blast furnace in Cubillos del Sil; the construction, in cooperation with PreZero and in which Endesa has a shareholding, of a wind turbine blade recycling plant; and the creation, in cooperation with Urbaser, of Novolitio, the first electric vehicle battery recycling plant on the Iberian peninsula.
These projects are in addition to the development of new renewable energy projects in the area. When combined, all this new energy and business activity will create more jobs than there were before the closure of the plant.
To round off the achievements to date, Endesa is also looking to give the Futur-e Plan some fresh impetus, by involving Metys, one of Europe's most prestigious consulting firms that specialises in reindustrialisation processes. Metys is undertaking a project exploration plan locally, nationally and internationally, in production sectors that are a good fit for El Bierzo. Contact has already been made with more than 3,000 companies and to his end, it is in direct contact with institutions and multipliers, who have already been presented with some of the ideas received so far.
Endesa, through its renewable subsidiary Enel Green Power España, is complementing these business initiatives with energy projects that it is aiming to develop in the surroundings of the former thermal power plant.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading 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 electricity 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. It is also the leading operator of charging stations in Spain through Endesa X Way, a business line dedicated entirely 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. Our workforce numbers around 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.