Bizkaia Provincial Council and Iberdrola España sign agreement to coordinate the undergrounding of electricity networks along cycle paths under construction in Urdaibai
- The aim is to establish a cooperation framework to reduce environmental impact and improve the integration of the infrastructure in the landscape.
A road surrounded by vegetation with an electricity pylon in Biskaia, the Basque Country.
The Bizkaia Provincial Council, through its Department of Infrastructure and Territorial Development, has signed a cooperation agreement with Iberdrola España to promote the undergrounding of electricity networks in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. Under the agreement, the two organisations will work together to combine the construction of provincial cycle paths with the improvement and modernisation of the existing electricity network in the area.
The aim of the agreement is to establish a cooperation framework that enables the Provincial Council and I-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes, Iberdrola España’s distribution company, to identify synergies in order to reduce the environmental impact and improve the landscape integration of infrastructure in a protected natural area of high ecological value.
Specifically, the agreement will apply to one of the seven major cycling corridors in the historical territory. This is Line 5 of the Bizkaia Sectoral Territorial Plan for Cycle Paths (PTSVCB), which connects Gernika and Bermeo, passing through Forua, Murueta, Busturia, Sukarrieta and Mundaka.
The agreement seeks to coordinate cycle-path construction projects with the undergrounding of existing or newly installed electricity lines. Although each party will contract the works independently, coordinating their execution will reduce the environmental impact, optimise resources and improve the operation and future maintenance of both infrastructures.
In all cases, each party will be responsible for financing, contracting and maintaining the infrastructure under its ownership, while always ensuring the technical and environmental coordination of the works. The agreement will remain in force for a maximum of four years from its publication in July.
The agreement forms part of the Bizkaia Provincial Council’s commitment to the environment and to responsible and sustainable construction, promoted through its Department of Infrastructure and Territorial Development. The agreement reinforces the Provincial Council’s commitment to sustainable mobility and balanced territorial development, particularly in areas of high environmental sensitivity such as Urdaibai.