The owner of the thermal power plant, Endesa, will close two of its four production groups and will be responsible for a conversion plan of 2,680 million euros
The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has authorized the closure of two groups of the four groups of the thermal power plant of As Pontes (A Coruña), owned by Endesa. According to the department headed by Teresa Ribera, the closure of the other two groups will be conditionally allowed, taking into account the reinforcement of the variables for the availability of power in the electrical system.
The partial closure is explained by the current energy situation, which forces the attractiveness of coal-fired power plants, which had almost degraded in recent years, to guarantee production throughout the country. The production of electricity from coal-fired power stations so far this year is 3.2% of the total; just 12 months ago they represented 1.7%. In other words, it has practically doubled this year, data from Red Eléctrica shows. This increase seeks to cover lower hydro and cogeneration production – almost minimal since the start of the Iberian exception – as well as the greater contribution from gas-fired combined cycle plants, which provide 23% of the electricity, with Daily tips up to 42%.
The third vice president of government and minister for the ecological transition and the demographic challenge, Teresa Ribera, met this Monday with Endesa CEO José Bogas, with the future of the factory and its employees on the table, after he received the report from the electricity grid operator on the request submitted by the energy company to close the power plant.
Although the ministry had already prepared an REE report in 2020 to authorize the closure of the coal-fired power plant’s four groups, each with approximately 350 MW, it decided in the spring of this year to request a new report. , given the tensions in energy markets caused by the war in Ukraine and high electricity exports due to the drought and the unavailability of a large part of the French nuclear fleet.
The cabinet led by Teresa Ribera indicated that this second REE report takes into account previously unforeseen scenarios, with a different participation of CHP and a high and constant export to neighboring countries.
The analysis thus reveals “the ease of closing the two inoperative groups and that closing the other two depends on the amplification of variables for the availability of current in the electrical system through various measures taken, such as the increase in the availability of cogeneration or the establishment of an active demand response mechanism”.
Ribera has denounced Endesa’s situation and recalled its “total commitment” with the area affected by the closure, recalling that a Just Transition Agreement has been launched to deploy support tools for municipal, corporate, vocational training projects and in particular innovative renewable energy projects.
In addition, it has urged Endesa to promote conversion projects and alternative investments in the area, in line with the fair energy transition agreement for thermal power plants in closure signed in April 2020 between the government, trade unions and the companies that own them. the power plants. .
In this regard, Endesa has updated the information on the projects it promotes in the municipality, which, according to its calculations, include this investment of 2,682 million and the generation of 1,361 direct jobs.
In a statement, the energy company stressed that “it will not leave or ignore As Pontes and Galicia”, and to support this strategic commitment, it has therefore presented the Ministry of Ecological Transition, as well as the Xunta de Galicia and the Municipal Council of As Pontes, this plan for social and economic development in the region that “shows the commitment to a process of Fair Energy Transition and the creation of value in As Pontes and the surrounding area”.
Similarly, the company’s strategy includes that all of its employees will be relocated to other parts of the company, upon decommissioning, in future plans or will benefit from voluntary departure plans.
The axes on which Endesa will operate after the closure thus range from the dismantling of the plant, which will have an estimated duration of four years and for which a training plan will be implemented that will train the more than 130 people who will participate in these tasks , giving priority to local employment and the factory’s own employees, to the promotion of new sustainable projects in the region.
To this end, the processing of new renewable projects will be addressed to convert the plant’s capacity into new clean power, with the construction of these 1,300 MW of wind projects which will create up to 2,300 jobs during the construction phase, and a further 274 direct jobs during the construction phase. the estimated 25-year lifespan of the wind farms.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
