Iberdrola commissions its largest power line of almost 730 kilometres in Brazil

Iberdrola has commissioned its largest power line in the world with almost 730 kilometres. The company, through its subsidiary Neoenergía, has put into operation the Jalapão transmission line between the north and northeast of Brazil, running through four states in the country: Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí and Bahía.

The function of this line is to extend the transmission grid to improve energy exchange between the North and Northeast regions, facilitating the flow of energy generated at the Belo Monte (AP) hydroelectric power plant, an asset in which Neoenergia has a stake and, with an installed capacity of 11,233.1 MW, is the largest power plant in Brazil.

The Jalapão project has used 13,100 kilometres of conductor cables, equivalent to the distance between São Paulo and Moscow. Thanks to its construction, Neoenergía has employed more than 2,000 people at the peak of the works.

It has also brought a number of economic and socio-environmental benefits to the local population. Among other actions, Neoenergia promoted environmental solutions based on stalled works around the Transmission Line, of structures abandoned in situ for more than five years, prior to the acquisition of the project. The initiative enabled the environmental recovery of the section, allowing the area to return to its former natural conditions.

Approximately 4,000 concrete foundations from the old transmission line have been recycled and crushed into small pieces, enough to cement approximately 24,000 square metres of roads. This material was used to improve roads in the municipalities involved in the project. In addition, some of the other materials, such as steel, were sold and the proceeds were used to buy more than 900 food baskets for people in vulnerable situations.

The project was acquired in Lot 4 of Auction 02/2017, carried out by the National Electricity Agency (ANEEL) in December 2017 and has been put into operation 15 months ahead of the regulatory body's contractual forecast.

Iberdrola has been leading the energy transition for two decades, acting as a driving force in the transformation of the industrial fabric and the green recovery of the economy and employment.
The company has launched a historic investment plan of 150 billion euros over the next decade -75 billion euros by 2025-, with which it will triple renewable capacity and double network assets, taking advantage of the opportunities of the energy revolution facing the world's leading economies.

Almost half of this investment volume will be allocated to the electricity grid activity, with the aim of continuing its international deployment, consolidating a solid distribution network and providing it with flexibility, based on an ambitious digitalisation process as a key element to respond to the future needs of the electricity system.

Iberdrola operates one of the largest electricity distribution systems in the world; more than 1.2 million kilometres of transmission and distribution lines and more than 4,400 substations, which distribute electricity to more than 34 million people around the world, in countries such as Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Brazil.

By 2025, regulated assets will amount to 47 billion and will be located mainly in countries with an A rating. By 2030, the company expects to double the regulated value of its network assets to 60 billion euros.