Endesa to close its coal-fired plants in 2027
Endesa, in its commitment to total decarbonisation by 2040, plans to close all coal-fired plants three years earlier than expected, in 2027. Aware of the historical link it has had with these facilities since the company's inception, Endesa has drawn up a Just Transition plan aimed at promoting various initiatives to achieve a positive impact on local communities from a social, environmental and economic point of view, known as the Futur-e Plan.
The Futur-e Plans designed by Endesa for its thermal facilities in the process of closure are projects that aim to contribute to mitigating the impact that plant closures may have on the local population through four axes: proactive search for employment for the personnel directly affected; promotion of economic activity in the area through new renewable projects, the dismantling of the plants themselves and international tenders for the development of new industrial activities; education and training of the local population to achieve the professional recycling of the people directly involved in these processes and to open up a job future for the local population; and initiatives of sustainability of the municipality to mitigate the fiscal impact that the closures generate in the municipalities, promoting the energy efficiency of these localities.
There are currently three Endesa coal facilities in the process of decommissioning. These are the Andorra (Teruel), Compostilla (León) and Carboneras (Almería) plants. Endesa has also requested the closure of the As Pontes (A Coruña) plant in 2019, which is expected to be resolved this year, and is processing the closure of the Es Murterar (Alcudia) plant in the Balearic Islands. All these infrastructures have Futur-e plans adapted to the characteristics of each environment.
The "Teruel" thermal power station, located in Andorra, was built between 1974 and 1979 with the aim of making extensive use of black lignite from mines in the Teruel mining basin, mixed with imported coal. During its four decades of activity, it produced 224,000 GWh, equivalent to one year's electricity consumption on the Spanish mainland.
Endesa submitted the formal closure request on 19 December 2018. In parallel to the closure request, Endesa voluntarily submitted a Future Plan aimed at compensating for the effects of the closure through various specific measures to promote the development of economic activities and job creation in the area around the plant.
In 2020 the plant was shut down definitively, and the Futur-e plan was implemented to employ workers from the plant itself and from the area in the decommissioning work.
The decommissioning of this plant, as well as the rest of Endesa's plants, is a highly complex technical operation that will involve around 200 direct workers at each plant, who will carry out the work for 48 months. At all the plants, the so-called selective demolition system will be applied to segregate and characterise each of the hundreds of thousands of tonnes that make up the demolition volume. This method of demolition, together with the application of the circular economy in waste management, will allow maximum use to be made of the waste, either for subsequent reuse as a second use or as a raw material.
The human team that will work on the decommissioning work for 4 years will mostly come from former contractors or residents in the area, as Endesa, as part of its commitment to sustainability, has given priority in the tender for the award of each project to the bids that include the highest number of local workers.
The Andorra power station is currently in the process of decommissioning, with hundreds of people working directly on this work, for which specialised labour is required. For this reason, Endesa has promoted specific training courses to develop these tasks among the local population, in order to promote this workforce in the area. Endesa has also presented an ambitious plan for the Andorra junction with projects that combine industrial and social development in the area.
On 16 December, Endesa proceeded to shut down the main generation equipment at the Carboneras Coastal Power Plant in Almeria after almost four decades of operation of this emblematic infrastructure, which has produced 183,628 gigawatt hours (GWh) during its useful life, equivalent to Andalusia's electricity consumption for four and a half years.
This decommissioning was accompanied by a plan for the future, Futur-e, on which work had been underway, as in the case of the other infrastructures in the process of closure, for several years with the launch of an international tender for the search for projects that would enable economic and industrial development on the plant sites once their closure became a reality.
This initiative, unique in Spain, responds to the company's commitment to a fair energy transition that involves replacing the generation capacity of coal-fired plants with clean and renewable technologies, as well as the generation of wealth and employment, through the development of industrial projects that meet social and environmental sustainability criteria.
In the case of Litoral, 14 binding proposals have been received from 10 different promoters on topics related to the circular economy, aquaculture, biofuels, tourism and logistics. A panel of experts involving all the entities is analysing the viability of each project with a view to the future of the area. In parallel to these tenders, Endesa is studying renewable projects at each of its power plant sites to replace coal-fired generation with 100% green energy.
The Litoral Thermal Power Plant is currently being dismantled by a specialised local company, a process that follows the principles of circular economy, which is why donations are being made to organisations in the area for their use, as well as to schools by donating laboratory material from the old power plants.
Meanwhile, the evaluation board of the international competition continues to work and has moved on to the next phase, 6 of the initial projects, assessing those based on blue economy, biofuels and logistics.
The Compostilla power plant is located between the municipalities of Cubillos del Sil and Ponferrada, in León. The facility is being dismantled, a process that will take around 48 months and in which 156 people are currently employed, 78.2% of whom are residents of the Bierzo region, as Endesa has given priority in hiring local residents.
The international tender launched by Endesa under the Futur-e Plan led to the selection of seven business projects to be set up in Cubillos del Sil. These initiatives will generate 160 jobs, with an investment of over Euro 260 million, and are clearly oriented towards the circular economy. Among the new companies that Endesa is bringing to the area is a wind blade recycling plant, in partnership with Endesa, Prezero and General Electric and its subsidiary LM Wind Power. This factory will fill a serious gap affecting the entire Spanish wind energy sector, which lacks the facilities to process the thousands of pieces of equipment that will be retired in the immediate future. The plant will be able to recycle some 2,000 blades per year.
Also, thanks to Endesa's Futur-e, an electric vehicle battery recycling factory will be located in Cubillos, in which Endesa and Urbaser, through its subsidiary Sertego, will participate. It will be the first of its kind on the Iberian Peninsula, and will require a complex logistics network. In both cases, construction of the facilities is scheduled to begin in 2023.
In addition to project promotion, the Compostilla Futur-e Plan envisages the development of 625 megawatts of renewable energy in the area, the construction of which will boost the local job market. The programme also includes intensive vocational training, with courses for local residents. Training has already been completed for workers in the dismantling of industrial facilities, as well as in the operation and maintenance of wind farms, and before the end of June, four courses will have been given for personnel working on photovoltaic installations, bringing the total number of students to 460. The educational activities are being carried out in collaboration with the City of Energy Foundation (CIUDEN), of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, and with the Santa Bárbara Foundation, of the Regional Government of Castilla y León.
The As Pontes generation complex is located in the north of the province of A Coruña, in the municipality of As Pontes de García Rodríguez. In operation since 1976, it is the largest thermal power plant in Spain, with 1,400 MW installed. Over the years, this plant has undergone three major refurbishments to adapt it to current environmental regulations. The last of the modernisations required an investment of 270 million euros in systems to reduce emissions into the atmosphere.
On 27 December 2019, Endesa officially applied to the Ministry of Ecological Transition to close the plant, a process that has not yet been completed, so the facility is still 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 relocated. Staff from auxiliary companies will also be given preference in the job opportunities generated by the future decommissioning of the plant, as well as in the development of new renewable facilities that Endesa is planning in the area. There will be a wide range of training courses to facilitate the transition from one activity to the other.
The As Pontes Futur-e Plan includes major investments in renewable energies. Endesa intends to develop up to 1,505 MW of wind power capacity, with 1,581 million euros and 125 stable jobs in operation and maintenance. These wind farms will provide the clean, competitively priced energy needed by Galician businesses to maintain or create hundreds of jobs.
Endesa is also looking for new business alternatives in Galicia to the thermal plant that is being closed, so once the progress of the administrative procedures for the end of the facility allows it, the company will launch another international tender for projects. However, in order to gain time, Endesa is already taking steps at a global level to look for entrepreneurs who want to take advantage of the industrial capacity of As Pontes.
Endesa is the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. It is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. It develops an integrated business from generation to commercialisation and also offers, through Endesa X, value-added services aimed at decarbonising energy use in homes, companies, industry and public administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and, as such, is strongly promoting 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 this last area. Endesa's workforce totals around 9,600 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, Europe's largest electricity group.