‘Heart’ of the electrical grid that supplies the town of Andoain, renovated

• i-DE, a distributor of Iberdrola España, completes the construction project for the new Illarramendi transformer substation to improve supply in the municipality of Andoain and the surrounding area
• The project, which lasted 20 months, has also made it possible to bury part of the power lines, reducing the visual impact of the installations

Iberdrola España, through its distributor i-DE, reaffirms its commitment to smart grids and its commitment to customers and the quality of supply in Gipuzkoa. Thus, last May, the Basque company completed work on the commissioning of the new Illarramendi transformer substation, which distributes electricity to five thousand customers in the municipality of Andoain and the surrounding area.

The project, initiated in 2021 by the "AIU 48 ILLARRAMENDI" joint venture, was launched to replace the installation that previously supplied energy to the area, which required an extension with technical difficulties to be undertaken on the same land. After obtaining all the administrative authorisations, the project was completed in 20 months, and the new installation, fully digitalised, now supplies electricity efficiently and reliably to the municipality. In addition, the new installation is prepared to meet the expected growth in demand in the area, as well as the growing penetration of self-consumption, both individual and collective.

In addition, the work has been used to bury around 1 km of overhead power line near the facility, reducing the visual impact and improving reliability in the event of weather events. Finally, once the old installation has been dismantled, the land will be recovered for other uses, with the consequent benefit for the community.

A level of service quality above the national average

Iberdrola España's distribution company has improved the quality of the electricity supply it offers its customers in the Basque Country by 17% by the end of 2022. The index that measures this service - Interruption Time Equivalent to Installed Power (TIEPI) - accumulated to date is below 45 minutes. In this way, the company has achieved the best year-end value in its history. In the case of Andoain, the TIEPI for 2022 was optimal, being below 30 minutes.

These figures are the result of i-DE's investments in new electrical infrastructures and the maintenance and renewal of existing ones, as well as its ambitious digitalisation plan.

The company, which maintains a level of service quality in the BAC above the national average, has in recent years undertaken an ambitious plan to digitalise its electrical grids, converting its more than 1.5 million meters and the infrastructure that supports them into smart meters, incorporating remote management, supervision and automation capabilities.

Iberdrola España's distribution company will continue to promote its electrical grid infrastructures in the Basque Country, which are key to guaranteeing the transition to a carbon-free economy, and despite already offering its customers the best quality in the system, it has set a target of improving its supply quality by 10% by 2025. This improvement in quality will also have a positive impact on the affordability of electricity supply for customers and will enable further improvements in service.

In the Basque Country, i-DE manages more than 18,600 km of low and medium voltage lines and more than 4,430 km of high and very high voltage lines. It also has 11,916 transformation centres in service and 165 substations. The company maintains a level of service quality in the BAC above the national average, with the best value at the end of the year in history