The initiative is expected to mobilize an investment of 780 million and create nearly 400 permanent jobs in operation and maintenance.
Thanks to this comprehensive intervention, the area will have continued access to clean and competitive energy resources, a key strength for attracting strategic industries.
The project combines actions in the fields of storage, hydrogen production and wind and hydroelectric generation. More than 7,000 direct and indirect equivalent jobs will be required during the years of construction.
Strategic alliance to turn Ferrolterra into the capital of green energy. EDP Renováveis (EDPR) and Reganosa plan to carry out clean generation and storage projects worth 780 million euros in As Pontes and seven surrounding municipalities. The execution of these projects, which are subject to the pending capacity auction, will require more than 7,000 equivalent jobs, both direct and indirect, and their maintenance and operation will require another 400 jobs during their operating life. In the hiring of workers and suppliers, priority will be given to those in the area and, particularly, to those affected by the cessation of activity in the coal-fired power plant. Thanks to this comprehensive intervention, the area will have continued access to competitive energy resources.
The Portuguese multinational EDPR and the Galician company Reganosa are jointly promoting a global action in favor of a green, digital and inclusive economy. The project, which integrates the entire value chain, includes the construction of a hydrogen (H2) production plant by electrolysis (up to 100 MW after full development), which will use water from the As Pontes Lake and new renewable energy sources. With an annual production capacity of up to 14,400 tons of H2, the project is expected to generate more than 300 jobs, direct and indirect, between the execution and operation phases.
An energy storage facility with an installed generating capacity of 570 MW will also be located in the vicinity. This storage will consist of a pumped hydroelectric power plant that will use the lake itself as a lower reservoir and a new one as an upper reservoir, which will allow better management of the electricity system and maximize the use of renewables in the energy mix. The storage will be located between the towns of Castelo and A Esfaparra and is expected to generate about 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, considering both the construction work and the future management of the plant.
To close the process, in addition, a wind power complex will be developed, consisting of four wind farms totaling more than 270 MW and using state-of-the-art turbines. These will be located in the municipalities of As Pontes, A Capela, Xermade, Monfero, Valdoviño, Moeche, Cerdido and As Somozas, and will generate around 2,500 jobs associated with the different phases of the process.
In short, almost one gigawatt of installed green power. This is the most ambitious commitment made so far for the decarbonization of the economy in Galicia. Thanks to this, the environment will have continuous access to affordable and clean energy, which is a strength for the attraction and establishment of strategic industries, as well as to promote the sustainability and competitiveness of the productive fabric.
Due to its characteristics, this initiative to make Ferrolterra the capital of green energy is aligned with the objectives pursued by the EU Green Deal and the Next Generation program; the Energy Storage Strategy, the National Energy and Climate Plan, the Spanish Just Transition Strategy, and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan; and the State Pact for Ferrol, the Law of Administrative Simplification and Support for the Economic Reactivation of Galicia, and the Galician Strategy for Climate Change and Energy 2050.
Rocío Sicre, General Manager of EDPR Spain, highlights: “This initiative demonstrates, once again, the strategic importance that Galicia has had for EDPR for more than 20 years. It also reflects the positive impact of renewables in terms of quality employment, favoring the economic and social revitalization of the Galician population. This is the most ambitious commitment to the decarbonization of the economy that has been carried out in Galicia to date and is in line with our goal of leading the energy transition. On the other hand, the promotion of Ferrolterra as the capital of green energy is aligned with the objectives pursued by both the European Union and the Spanish Government in renewable energy. Our commitment to just transition is total and we will continue to bet on Galicia as a key territory to deploy clean and green energy.“
“14 years ago, we brought gas to Galicia and now, with EDPR, we are going to bring hydrogen; we are going to participate in the configuration of a new energy ecosystem in our community“, proclaims the General Manager of Reganosa, Emilio Bruquetas, who adds: “All the knowledge and experience we have acquired over the years we are now putting it at the service of Galicia, at the service of a faster, more solid and fairer socioeconomic recovery. In this way, we diversifying our activity; we are facing a new Reganosa, the global energy company of the Galicians“.
