Green light for Iberdrola's new reversible pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Spain

As a result, the project has a favourable EIS and a permit for access to the grid, and is awaiting the next issuance of the prior administrative authorisation.

This reversible pumped-storage power plant will have an installed capacity of 440 MW, allowing reversible energy storage of 16 million kWh, equivalent to the average daily consumption of more than 4 million people, and providing a firmness to the electricity system of up to 37 hours with the machines at full load.

This plant will be able to generate more than 1000 additional GWh per year using the same water resources as before, thereby avoiding the emission of an estimated 355 000 tpy of CO₂ and contributing to the decarbonisation of the electricity system through greater integration of non-manageable renewable energies, solar, and wind, providing the electricity system with greater capacity for adaptation and response.

With regard to its design, the plant will use the reservoirs created by the existing dams, taking into account the important environmental and heritage conditions of the surroundings, so that all the hydraulic circuits have been designed underground, including the power plant, which has been designed in a shaft.

The new plant will connect the lower reservoir of Cedillo and the upper reservoir of Alcántara by means of a double underground hydraulic circuit 0.9 km long and will take advantage of the difference in level between the reservoirs of up to 108 m by means of two reversible turbines with a capacity of 220 MW. This ‘reversible’ plant will improve the management and use of the existing hydroelectric system on the Tagus river, generating zero impact on the remaining users of the Tagus river, since in addition to making ‘non-consumptive’ use of the water resources of both reservoirs, as is already the case in all hydroelectric plants, it will reuse the same water in its operation.

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