Endesa connects 390 MW of renewable energy in 2020, distributed in 12 wind and solar plants, despite the impact of Covid-19

• The projects spread over Aragón, Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and the Balearic Islands represent an annual production of 911 GWh, which will prevent the emission of more than 424,228 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere per year. They have involved an investment of more than €320 million.
• A challenge which has generated an estimated average of more than 1,500 direct jobs in construction in these areas, in which the joint efforts made with industrial partners and contractors have been key to working under strict safety protocols due to the scenario presented by Covid-19.
• Within the programmes for the Creation of Shared Value (CSV) for each of the 12 plants, training in plant operation and assembly has been given to 323 people in person in the farm environment in collaboration with the municipal councils.
• The projects undertaken include innovation and sustainability elements to make the development of renewable energies compatible with agricultural activity. In addition, sustainable engineering practices have been followed during their construction.
• All this represents a step forward regards growth, in a year made very complicated due to Covid-19, towards the goal the company has set itself of replacing its thermal generation capacity with renewable energy before the closure of up to 4,800 MW of coal production between 2019 and 2023.

Endesa continues to move forward in its commitment to the growth of its zero-emission generation fleet within its Energy Transition Strategy. Through its subsidiary Enel Green Power Spain, it has managed to complete the construction of and connect 389 MW to the grid in 2020.

This new capacity is distributed in 12 projects, 6 solar and 6 wind, which represented a total investment of more than €320 million. All of them were built in record time, taking into account the stoppage of business activity that occurred in Spain after the decree of the State of Alarm due to the Covid-19 pandemic between March and June. The projects spread over Aragón, Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and the Balearic Islands represent an annual production of 911 GWh which will prevent the emission of more than 424,228 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere per year..

Quite a challenge, and one that has generated an estimated average of more than 1,500 direct jobs. In construction work, the joint efforts made by industrial partners and contractors have been key. Their personnel as well as Endesa's have followed strict safety measures at all times in the construction of all the plants. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and in accordance with the guidelines of the health authorities, the company implemented rigorous safety protocols in order to guarantee the necessary protection of the workers involved in the construction, and of the communities in which the plants are located.

“This is a step forward, in a very complicated year due to Covid-19, towards the goal of replacing thermal generation capacity with renewable energy, after the closure of up to 4,800 MW of coal production between 2019 and 2023. So far we have already connected 1,300 renewable energy MW (900 in 2019 and 400 MW and we will build another 3,900 MW between 2021 and 2023 to add 5,200 MW divided between solar and wind plants”, highlighted Rafael González, General Director of Generation at Endesa. Specifically, according to the Strategic Plan for the 2021-2023 period presented last November, Endesa has set a growth of 50% in its renewable energy fleet. A growth that will require an investment of 3,300 million (20% more than in the previous plan) to add 3,900 MW of renewable capacity. As a result, 89% of electricity production on the peninsula will be free of CO2 emissions by the end of 2023.

Innovation, Sustainable Construction and the creation of value (CSV)

The latest technology has been applied to the construction of the photovoltaic and wind plants already connected to the grid. Thus, Endesa is using virtual reality to review these facilities through Smart glasses, which allow remote assistance from supervisors without the need to physically go to the area in question. In addition, this technology incorporates an infrared camera that offers a real-time view of the construction and execution activities.

For the construction of all plants, both solar and wind, the company has followed sustainable engineering criteria and has applied Enel Green Power's "Sustainable Construction Site" model, including the installation of photovoltaic solar panels to cover part of the energy needs during the work, efficient lighting, waste separation, and provision of several defibrillators to look after workers' health. Part of this equipment, now that the construction work has been completed, will be donated for public use to the municipalities in which the 12 projects have been carried out.

Indeed, two of the actions (the installation of isolated photovoltaic equipment for the electrical consumption of the camps during the construction phase and the use of electric vehicles on some of EGPE's farms for the movements of construction staff) have already been included as sustainable engineering actions within Climate 2018 Projects by the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITERD).

Endesa's philosophy when building its renewable facilities is part of its Creation of Shared Value (CSV) programme that has led the company to provide training courses on renewable energy, the majority of these for the unemployed, who now have knowledge in the field of assembly and disassembly of installations and maintenance. Thus, during 2020, 12 CSV projects were managed for each of the plants, with a total planned investment of around €700,000.

Specifically, during this year, and despite the difficulties encountered due to the pandemic, 323 people were trained in person on farm premises. Several editions of two courses where held: "Farm Operation and Maintenance" and "SFV Panel Assemblers", with 104 and 219 students respectively. In this training course, we collaborated with the municipal town councils in organising the courses, as well as in providing the facilities.

Additionally, employment was generated for more than 550 people through a local job bank for the Dehesa de Mallén, S. Francisco de Borja, Cañaseca y Los Gigantes y Augusto farms, where priority was given to hiring people from the local area, and some of the students on the courses taught were able to take advantage of this.

The case of the CSV project at Las Corchas and Los Naranjos is worth highlighting, for example, due to its incorporation of inclusive actions for vulnerable groups, which include the preparation of hardware and the recycling of site pallets and reels by the Occupational Centre for the disabled in Carmona. As is the piloting of an agrivoltaic generation and bee-keeping project, which is a benchmark for other CSV plans in the group.

Agrivoltaic generation 

In addition, in order to guarantee the environmental compatibility of the photovoltaic plants, a series of environmental actions have been implemented aimed at conserving and monitoring the natural wealth of each of the areas based on their flora and fauna. Such as the installation of plant screens, perches and nest boxes for birds of prey, keeping vegetation under control with sheep, or the installation of hunting fences and wildlife crossings, or the reservation of specific spaces for nesting steppe-land birds.

Agrivoltaic generation is another of the actions being explored with the aim of sharing the use of grazing land and promoting local economic activities like bee-keeping. It involves incorporating different crop varieties (aromatic, different types of cereal, and some fruit and vegetables) between the solar panels, seeking sustainable exploitation models, which are respectful of the environment and carried out with the participation of local communities.

Therefore, Andalusia is working on the implementation of a programme of complementary measures to promote the habitat of the Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) and the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax), both species included in the vulnerable category of the Andalusian Catalogue of Endangered Species.

Through EGPE, Endesa currently manages more than 7,812 MW of installed renewable capacity in Spain, which includes: 4,711 MW of conventional hydraulic power; 2,362 MW of wind energy, 657 MW of solar energy, 79 MW of mini-hydraulic energy and 3 MW of other renewable energy sources.

Part of the Enel Group, Enel Green Power is dedicated to renewable energy development and operation worldwide, with a presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Enel Green Power is a global leader in the green energy sector with more than 47 GW of installed capacity in a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower and is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into renewable energy plants.

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 from generation to marketing and through Endesa X it provides added value services to decarbonise energy used in homes, companies, industries and government agencies. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nation’s SDGs and therefore decisively promotes the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, 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.