Endesa is signing an agreement with Estación de Gaucín-El Colmenar, a municipality in Malaga dependent on Cortes de la Frontera, to transfer the buildings and land around the Las Buitreras hydroelectric plant for social, tourist and promotion use in the region.
Given Endesa's ties to this area, this is a meaningful event, which has taken place in the plant itself. The attendees included Acacio Sánchez, president of the autonomous local government (ELA); Natacha Rivas, second vice-president of the provincial council; José Damián García, mayor of Cortes de la Frontera; Tomás Chica, director of Endesa's Southern hydraulic production unit, and Víctor Villar, head of Planning and Urbanism at Endesa.
The area donated, in "Haza de los Olivos", as well as the former houses of the plant's workers can now be used to boost the economy of Estación de Gaucín-El Colmenar.
Its development has been greatly helped by the Las Buitreras hydroelectric plant during its more than 100 years of history. It promoted the area's growth, a past and present-day railway station where steam engines used to stop for water. And it led to the birth of a village, when the plant's workers settled in this region.
This donation will promote tourism in the area, since the location is close to the natural monument Cañón de las Buitreras, a popular walking destination, a point of interest and an amazing scenery.
The ELA will undertake a series of initiatives in collaboration with Malaga's provincial council to adapt the spaces donated by Endesa. Acacio Sánchez, president of the ELA, mentioned the creation of infrastructures to meet the needs of visitors and provide an optimal experience.
"With this donation, we have an ideal opportunity for continuing to work together with the ELA in this site, as an ideal area for active and nature tourism, in order to shake things up in inner municipalities", stressed Natacha Rivas, who recalled that in May last year the provincial council completed conservation and safety improvement works at Cañón de la Buitreras, a space dedicated to canyoning.
This transfer of land by Endesa is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the creation of partnerships, in this case a public-private partnership, which will give a new lease of life to the space.
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 business from generation to marketing and through Endesa X also offers value-added services aimed at the decarbonisation of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and public administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and therefore strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the electrification of the economy and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. We have a workforce of 9,600 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.