On the front line of energy transition

The decarbonisation process we are driving from Endesa includes a very relevant change in the way we produce electricity. Our coal-fired power plants, which for many years have created wealth and employment in places like León, As Pontes, Litoral and Teruel, are making way for new wind and photovoltaic farms.

There are two ways to tell the story of this transition. If we focus on the environmental aspect, we can say that this industrial reconversion, the most important in the history of Spain's energy sector, is already paying off in reducing emissions. By 2020, 85% of our production in continental Spain was already free of CO2 emissions. By 2023, that percentage will reach 89%.

At Endesa, we wanted to focus on people. Without losing sight of environmental goals, we have worked from the beginning to mitigate the impact of this change on the people who have helped build who we are today and who are living this process with natural concern, the workers at coal-fired power plants.

Paulino Guía was a boiler and turbine area supervisor at the Andorran plant (Teruel), a position he held for 16 years. "You could see the change coming for a while now. I have fought hard to keep the plant in its current location and to make the necessary investments so that it did not pollute so much, because the plant generates work for many families, but we saw the end of coal approaching."

New opportunities for all people from coal

Paulino is one of 278 people from the Endesa thermal power plants who have found a new opportunity thanks to the relocation process promoted by the company. "In energy transition, we have a special commitment to the people at the thermal power plants that cease to operate", explains María Rodríguez-Navarro, head of People and Generation Organisation at Endesa, "that is why we are working on a plan that has already provided a forward-looking solution for 100% of these people."

Almost 700 people from coal have benefited from the voluntary resignation, early retirement and relocation plan that the company has put together with its own funds. The available staff has had preferential access to all growth opportunities within the field of electricity generation, training for the acquisition of skills in their new roles ("reskilling") and individual support during the process of change.

"Reskilling" and "upskilling" to acquire skills and increase employability

For our colleagues affected by the closure of coal, "reskilling" has been part of their reality for months. Our goal is to ensure – through the necessary training – the technical and safety knowledge necessary to perform duties in their new positions, minimising the training gap and the onboarding timelines. In 2020, more than 26,000 hours of training were delivered and, in 2021, there are more than 165 people completing their individual "reskilling" plan.

At the same time, through training activities focused on renewable technologies and digital skills ("upskilling"), we promote the development of new skills in all people working in electricity generation to improve their employability and adaptation to the new challenges of energy transition. In April 2021, we launched a voluntary training programme in wind and solar plant supervision skills aimed at coal-fired plant employees.

Paulino makes a positive assessment of this process: "I'm very happy because I've trained in renewables. I've already finished the highest level." Since December 2020, he has been supervisor of the wind farms that Enel Green Power España, Endesa's renewables subsidiary, has in Borja (Zaragoza) and Ólvega (Soria). "The best thing is what I'm learning and all the people I'm meeting. If I used to have a contact list with 200 numbers, in four months it's jumped to 500." 

And even though work in the wind farms is pretty lonely, he is already used to maintaining digital and phone contact with his managers and employees. In return, he has gained in contact with nature. "From the two farms you can see the Moncayo range; it is a privileged setting. You can find cattle grazing or people picking mushrooms." 

A custom relocation process

The relocation process has allowed more than 60% of workers to stay in their geographical area. "Relocation begins with individualised management, analysing people and vacancies individually throughout the perimeter of Endesa", describes Antonio Hermosilla, from the Planning area within People and Generation Organisation. "There is a commitment on the part of the company to promoting the return to the sites of origin when the renewable projects for the closed plants have been implemented."