Rafael González (Endesa) ensures the "bet on Catalonia" with 700 MW of new renewable power

Endesa wants to “contribute” to transforming the energy model of Catalonia and its decarbonisation

BARCELONA, 8 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

Endesa’s general director of generation, Rafael González, has assured Europa Press that EGPE (its renewable division Enel Green Power Spain) “bets on Catalonia”, where it projects some 700 megawatts (MW) of new renewable power between wind, photovoltaic and projects in hybridization.

Endesa has planned investments of 700 million euros to implement new renewables in Catalonia in the next four years, and this could rise to 1,000 million if another 300 MW that are in the portfolio materializes, as ‘Expansión’ advanced.

“We are determined to invest and contribute to the transformation of the energy model in Catalonia and its decarbonisation strategy”, González told Europa Press.

EGPE manages 2,000 hydraulic MW with more than 50 power plants throughout the Catalunya basins and 2 wind farms that it already acquired in service of 44 MW and 30 MW (Montargull and Les Forques, between the provinces of Lleida and Tarragona).

IN THE 4 PROVINCES

Of the approximately 700 MW under development, 500 are wind farms in the pipeline distributed throughout the four provinces and 36 in two photovoltaic solar plants.

The hybridizations “also have a significant weight” of the projects, with the start of the development of photovoltaic installations at the Canelles Hydraulic Power Plant (Lleida), in the hydraulic system of the Noguera Pallaresa river and taking advantage of the wind farms already in service in Catalonia central.

Hybridization projects generate renewable energy with two or more energy sources (such as hydraulic and photovoltaic) and sharing the same connection point to the electricity grid, which allows more renewable energy to be generated by taking advantage of an already existing connection point without creating new infrastructure. distribution.

González explained that “Egpe is prospecting for new opportunities (300 MW) in Catalonia”, as a result of the connection capacity that REE intends to put out to tender this year and new smaller projects that may arise to connect to the distribution network.

THREE ADVANCED PROJECTS

There are several projects in different stages of processing in the 4 provinces to “take advantage of the resource and balance the territory”, and some of them are in an advanced stage.

An advanced one is the Galatea Wind Farm (PE), the 49 MW wind project in Alt Empordà (Girona), which already has an environmental impact statement and could be operational in 2025: “It is capable of supplying electricity to the half of the households in the region for a year”.

Other advanced ones are: in Terra Alta (Tarragona) three wind farms with 150 MW, which would be evacuated at the Ascó nuclear substation (Ribera d’Ebre); wind projects in Anoia (Barcelona) with 85 MW; and three more in Les Garrigues (Lleida), with 150 MW.

Most of the projects are in the pipeline and are expected to be put into service in 2025-26 (the processing phase to adapt a project to the environment and have permission from the Administration usually takes about 2 years, and then construction can last 9-15 months depending on the project).

“THEY GENERATE VALUE IN THE TERRITORY”

González has highlighted the will to have social acceptance of renewable projects, with “proposals that respond to the needs of local communities”; largely, with the sustainable construction of the project (self-consumption facilities, rainwater collection tanks and electric cars, for example), and part of the facilities are donated to that community.

He has also highlighted that they develop training initiatives, job creation, projects that share the use of land with the primary sector, and formulas to share part of the investment and energy generated by the facility with the community.

He gave as an example that Endesa has just launched a local participation product for the inhabitants of the Alt Empordà to participate in the investment in the Galatea park with a fixed return of up to 5.8% over 10 years.