The installation of the photovoltaic substation in Cedillo (Extremadura) is an engineering challenge

To the west of Cáceres (Extremadura), on the border with Portugal, Iberdrola is building the 100 MW Cedillo photovoltaic plant, which will soon be commissioned. The construction work has marked two major milestones.

Firstly, the installation of the 400 kV encapsulated substation (GIS), which was manufactured entirely off-site and posed a logistical challenge, as it had to be transported from Italy to Spain. The images of the move make it very clear what a challenge they have faced.

Secondly, there was the technological challenge, which required combining the infrastructure of the new substation with the existing one. The installation was carried out without interfering with the four evacuation lines of the adjacent hydroelectric power station, which is already in service.

Moreover, the encapsulated substation occupies a space of only 300 m2, far less than the hectare (10,000 m2) taken up by conventional substations, so the environmental impact has also been minimised.

In addition, special environmental protection measures have been implemented in the construction of the photovoltaic plant, as it is located in the vicinity of the Tagus International Nature Park, a protected area between Spain and Portugal.

This innovative infrastructure will also serve a future 375 MW photovoltaic plant. In this way, it avoids the installation of further evacuation networks, which again favours the reduction of environmental impact and integration into the territory.

Extremadura is one of the richest European regions in terms of natural resources and a key location for the development of solar energy. Iberdrola has planned to carry out several projects with this technology until 2023, with a capacity of more than 2,600 MW.