Iberdrola España brings in Cuenca the country’s largest batteries into operation
- The batteries, located in Alarcón, generated more than 100 jobs during peak periods
- This project has been recognised as a Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE), under its renewable energy, green hydrogen and storage (ERHA) category
Iberdrola España has brought Spain’s first large-scale batteries into operation in Alarcón (Cuenca). With a storage capacity of 60 MWh each and power of close to 30 MW, the Romeral and Olmedilla batteries can store enough zero-emissions energy to supply electricity for two hours to more than 13,000 homes.
During the construction of both batteries, more than 100 jobs were created. A number of national suppliers were also involved, including the Gipuzkoa-based company Jema, which was responsible for building the integrators. In this way, Iberdrola España has once again shown that renewable energies are a driver of skilled employment and national industry.
The batteries form part of a hybrid technology that allows them to share the same grid connection point as the Romeral and Olmedilla photovoltaic plants, specifically the Olmedilla node. The storage system for each installation consists of six 4.5 MW converters and one 2.25 MW converter, as well as 13 battery modules of 4.66 MWh each.
The Romeral (50 MW) and Olmedilla (50 MW) photovoltaic plants generate clean energy for a population equivalent to more than 24,500 homes per year in the case of Romeral and close to 30,000 homes per year in the case of Olmedilla. Romeral avoids the emission of 15,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and Olmedilla 18,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. In addition, in 2022, the Olmedilla plant was awarded the UNEF sustainability seal.
Efficiency and innovation
In addition to using the same grid connection point and sharing infrastructure such as the substation and the electricity evacuation line, hybrid generation plants are located on land already designated for renewable generation. This makes it possible to use common access roads and facilities for the operation of both technologies. These characteristics significantly reduce the environmental impact compared to two independent plants.
Battery-based storage technology is an innovative solution that maximises the use of clean energy, regulating network frequency within a millisecond and providing backup capacity during periods of highest demand. It also helps to improve electricity supply quality, ensure network stability and reliability and integrate and make better use of energy generated from renewable sources.
Recognised as a strategic project
The Romeral and Olmedilla batteries form part of a set of six Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) with a combined capacity of 173 MW, which were recognised by IDAE as Strategic Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE), under the renewable energy, green hydrogen and storage (ERHA) category, with total funding of €37.5 million. Specifically, the Romeral battery received close to €8 million and the Olmedilla battery €3.5 million.
The other four batteries include one in Castile and León, hybridised with the Revilla Vallejera photovoltaic plant in Burgos, the province where Iberdrola España completed Spain’s first hybrid wind and solar plant in 2023 (Ballestas-Casetona); two in Extremadura, specifically in the province of Cáceres, where the C. Arañuelo I and II photovoltaic plants are located; and one in Huelva, in the municipality of Puebla de Guzmán, where the company operates the Andévalo photovoltaic plant, the first installation built with the UNEF Certificate of Excellence. In total, when all six batteries are operational, they will have a combined capacity of 173 MW.
Commitment to storage in Spain
Iberdrola España is backing efficient energy storage as one of the key levers for electrification, decarbonisation and the energy transition. To this end, it is committed to large-scale storage through pumped-storage hydroelectric plants and to small-scale storage through Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
The company is a leader in energy storage through hydroelectric generation and pumped storage, with 4.5 GW of installed capacity. Among the most notable pumped-storage hydroelectric plants operated by the company in the Iberian Peninsula are La Muela, Villarino, Tâmega and Santiago-Sil-Xares.
Iberdrola España has been a pioneer in the development of electrical energy storage using lithium-ion batteries. In 2021, it became the first company to install a battery hybridised with photovoltaic technology at Campo Arañuelo III (Extremadura).
The company also operates a 20 MWh battery in Puertollano, which stores production from a nearby solar plant to generate green hydrogen for the largest plant of this energy source for industrial use in Europe, as well as two batteries in the Basque Country. One, in Abadiño (Biscay), is connected to the evacuation line of the Oiz wind farm and can connect directly to the network and operate without being linked to a generation facility. The other, in Álava, stores wind energy from the Elgea-Urkilla wind farm.
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