Iberdrola España recognizes six villages in Galicia for fighting against depopulation
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These six municipalities of Ourense have been awarded by Iberdrola España, in collaboration with the platform 'Vente a Vivir a un Pueblo' ('Come Live in Town'), in a ceremony attended by the mayors of these towns and representatives of the electricity Company in Galicia
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The 'Pobos con futuro' ('Towns with Future') award recognises their efforts to revitalise rural areas and use renewable energies to boost local economies
This morning, the municipality of Vilariño de Conso in Ourense hosted the presentation of the "Pobos con Futuro" ('Towns with Future') awards given by Iberdrola España in collaboration with the platform to fight against depopulation 'Vente a Vivir a un Pueblo' ('Come Live in Town'). These awards recognise their efforts to revitalise rural areas and use renewable energies − as a way of boosting local economies and as a tool for generating employment. In addition to Vilariño de Conso, the towns of Chandrexa de Queixa, Xunqueira de Espadanedo, Cualedro, Parada de Sil and Nogueira de Ramuín have also received awards.
The event was attended by the mayors of each of these award-winning municipalities, as well as the Director of the Sil-Támega basin of Iberdrola España, Miguel Ángel López, and the Institutional Delegate of the Company in Galicia, Francisco Silva. The councillors have shown the efforts they are making to attract a new population − highlighting the importance of natural resources in these rural areas for economic development and job creation.
Miguel Ángel López stressed that "Iberdrola España promotes renewable energies as a driver of rural development and future for many localities − thanks to numerous 'green' initiatives that boost their activity and their population. All the projects coexist with agriculture and livestock farming, respect the environment and help to create local employment". In particular, he highlighted the importance of the Conso II pumped storage project (Gigabattery), which Iberdrola España is promoting in the municipality of Vilariño de Conso. With 1,800 MW of power, it will be the largest facility of its kind in Spain and Portugal, and will allow the integration and development of other renewables at national level. This project will create thousands of jobs in the area during the over 6 years of construction. The director of the Sil-Támega basin also highlighted that "it will be an infrastructure that will not need new reservoirs or tanks, as it will use the existing ones, and will be totally underground".
The awards were collected by the councillors of Vilariño de Conso: Melisa Macía; Chandrexa de Queixa, Francisco Rodríguez; Xunqueira de Espadeno, Carlos Gómez; Cualedro, Luciano Rivero; Parada de Sil, Aquilino Domínguez; and Nogueira de Ramuín, Julio Temes. The mayors showed their gratitude for the awards and agreed that renewables represent a key lever to achieve energy independence in our country and fight against climate change. These new green investments are boosting municipalities such as these because of the economic benefits they bring to their rural environments.
After the award ceremony, the Headteacher of the IES Xermán Ancochea Quevedo Secondary School in Trives, Francisco García, also took part in the discussion. He mentioned the opportunities that are opening up for youth in the area who are studying Vocational Training and have found job opportunities in the new sustainable projects.
Iberdrola España's commitment to clean energy began decades ago, and this commitment has become even greater in recent years − as evidenced by the Company’s current position as a world leader in renewables. The Company's commitment to Galicia should be seen in the context of its deep ties with this land, where it landed 80 years ago and where it has been walking the path of environmentally and economically sustainable energies ever since.
It is worth highlighting the importance of Iberdrola España's renewables in Ourense − the Galician province where the Company has the largest number of wind farms in the region. In addition to the Nogueira, Vieiro, Pena da Cruz, Serra do Burgo, Sil, Ampliación Sil and Serra de Larouco wind farms, infrastructures with a total capacity of 204 MW, and also the importance of hydroelectric complexes. The Company has 1,535 MW of installed hydroelectric power in Galicia, with 90% in the province of Ourense. This makes it the leading player in terms of hydroelectric power and production in the region.
The pumped storage plants will play a key role in the energy transition. They also stimulate industrial activity and help to promote the regional economy. It is worth highlighting the huge effort that Iberdrola España has been making for years in these complexes equipped with high technology and efficiency to store energy on a large scale. Hydroelectric technology is the most efficient, provides stability, security and sustainability, generates energy with a very fast response time and does not generate any emissions into the atmosphere.
Coexistence of nature and renewable energies
The "Pobos con Futuro" award includes a video-portfolio of each of the winning municipalities for 'Vente a Vivir a un Pueblo' − the most modern and comprehensive platform to encourage city-dwellers to settle in rural environments. Along with the video-portfolio, the residents of these localities will be able to use other tools such as employment, housing and transfers, free online training in new technologies and a Marketplace to give visibility to local services and products.
Iberdrola España is working on numerous initiatives that combine the installation of renewable projects with the conservation of the biological diversity of ecosystems, caring for flora, fauna and natural heritage. Coexistence of these renewable generation plants with activities related to agriculture, livestock farming and horticulture are further proof of the Company's commitment to preserving biodiversity.