- Endesa, through its renewable subsidiary Enel Green Power España, has connected two of its three wind farms to the grid. They are located in Campillo de Altobuey, Enguídanos, Puebla del Salvador, Minglanilla, Castillejo de Iniesta and Iniesta.
- The Campillo II and III plants that have already sent their first kilowatts to the grid, while the Campillo I plant will come into service before the end of the year.
Endesa, through its renewable subsidiary Enel Green Power España, has connected its first wind farms in Cuenca to the grid. These are Campillo II and III, which have already begun to produce their first kilowatts of clean energy, while the third installation in the area, Campillo I, will come service before the end of the year.
Campillo II and Campillo III produce 87.5 MW each and they have represented a challenge since they are Endesa's highest wind farms in Spain, with a height of 120 metres that will enable them to optimise installed power and reduce the impact of these facilities on the area. Endesa's renewable subsidiary, Enel Green Power España, has also implemented environmental measures that will protect local fauna and flora, with a view to integrating technology and the environment.
For Luca Capuozzo, Engineering and Construction Manager for Endesa's renewable subsidiary, Enel Green Power España, "the Campillo II and III projects represented a challenge not only because of their size, but because here we adopted the best international practices during the construction phase that served as an example to other companies in Spain. He also explained "our team of exceptional people and contractors were able to accelerate construction and bring forward the commissioning of the project which will strengthen the renewable generation mix in Spain".
Endesa invested €174 million in the construction of Campillo II and III and once operational they will produce 452 gigawatt hours per year (GWh), that is, the energy consumed by a city like Cuenca in one and a half years. These installations were built in record time and employed nearly 300 people during construction which started in February. Endesa's objective was for the workforce to consist of local people and this was achieved as a result of the training courses organised by Endesa's renewable subsidiary, Enel Green Power España in coordination with the municipalities of the area.
So far, a total of 23 people from the area surrounding these renewable installations have been trained, with special emphasis on the participation of unemployed people and women. 31% of the workforce for these constructions originated from the province of Cuenca. Priority was also given to contracting a total of 10 local companies, which means that Endesa's activity in Cuenca is generating indirect employment.
During the construction of these plants, the concept of sustainable building sites was applied, meaning that all waste was recycled; and 2 defibrillators installed at the two worksites, as well as a 10 KW photovoltaic kit, low-consumption lighting, an electric vehicle charger and a water tank to collect rainfall in the area. All these elements will now be donated to the local communities in application of the circular economy principle right from the outset of the projects.
The Campillo wind farms were also pioneers with regard to the execution of the project since an "Alliance" was signed with the companies responsible for the works. This partnership promotes communication and collaboration between the different contractors and EGPE, seeking to leverage synergies and share ideas and experiences. This collaboration will result in improved health and safety, a reduction of risks and extra costs and will even improve the time frame for executing the project.
When they become operational at the end of this year, Campillo I, II and III will generate approximately 660 GWh per year, which represents more than double the annual consumption of a city like Cuenca. To undertake this project, which also has three electrical substations and two high-voltage lines, we have been in continuous dialogue with the main local representatives and the competent authorities, in order to reach an agreement on how the work will be undertaken while minimising the environmental impact and maximising the social impact.
Through EGPE, Endesa currently manages 8,389 MW of installed renewable capacity in Spain, including: 4,672 MW of conventional hydraulic power; 2,546 MW of wind power, 1,097 MW of solar power, and 75 MW of mini-hydraulic power.
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-distribución, 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.