The plant
The As Pontes generation plant is located in the north of the province of A Coruña, in the municipality of As Pontes de García Rodríguez. It has been in operation since 1976, and it is the largest thermal power plant in Spain, with 1,469 MW installed Over the years this plant has undergone three major reforms, to adapt to current regulations on environmental matters.
The last of the modernisations, which had been partially completed when it was cancelled due to the economic non-feasibility of the plant, required an investment of €270 million in systems to reduce emissions to the atmosphere.
Futur-e Plan
On 27 December 2019, we officially asked the Ministry of Ecological Transition for permission to shut the plant down. This process has not yet been completed, so the installation is available and at the request of the system manager. However, the transition process has already begun, respecting the jobs of the 174 employees of As Pontes, who are being re-employed.
Employees of the auxiliary companies will also have preference in the job opportunities that the future dismantling of the plant will generate, as well as in the development of the new renewable installations projected in the area. There will be a wide range of training courses to enable the transition from one activity to another.
The As Pontes Futur-e plan includes significant investments in renewable energies. We propose to develop up to 1,505 MW of wind capacity, with an investment of €1,581 million euros and creating 125 stable jobs for its operation and maintenance. These plants will provide the clean energy and competitive prices that the Galician business fabric needs to maintain or create hundreds of jobs.
We are also contemplating a search in Galicia for new business alternatives to the thermal plant that has been shut down, so, once progress in the administrative processing to complete the installation allows it, we will launch another international project contest. However, in order to buy time, we are already making efforts at a global level in our search for entrepreneurs wishing to take advantage of the industrial capabilities of As Pontes.