Iberdrola España guarantees electricity supply in Valcarlos (Navarre) thanks to a battery
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"No more blackouts", said the President of Navarre, who presided over the event. She also highlighted this action as an example of public-private collaboration and territorial cohesion in the rural world
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The municipality of Valcarlos (Navarre), with 300 inhabitants, the last village in the Pyrenees on the border with France, will have a guaranteed electricity supply all year round
i-DE, Iberdrola Group’s distribution company in Spain, has installed a storage battery in Valcarlos (Navarre) connected to the distribution network. This battery is capable of supplying electricity to the village in the event of power shortages caused by weather storms.
In this way, i-DE continues with its investment and support plan for the development and innovation of electricity grids to achieve the electrification and decarbonization of the economy, allowing energy independence from fossil fuels.
Valcarlos, which with 300 inhabitants is one of the most depopulated areas of the Navarrese Pyrenees and is exposed to heavy snowfalls and a complicated orography that makes access to the village difficult, will have a microgrid capable of supplying electricity in an isolated, self-sufficient, local and sustainable way to its inhabitants. Thus, from a storage battery and renewable energy, the village will always have electricity, even when anomalies or power shortages caused by severe weather phenomena are detected.
The construction of the battery, which has an output of 1.2 MW and a storage capacity of 4 MWh, involved 132 people and only European suppliers. The civil works were a major challenge, as the village is located between mountains and winding roads.
Until now, different projects had been developed to improve the quality of the electricity grid, such as the automation of the line, but they were not the optimal solution for the village. This microgrid system is the best resource from a social and environmental point of view to ensure the electricity supply to Valcarlos through a single line, the last one before crossing into the neighbouring country.
The battery launch event held today in the Navarrese town was attended by the President of the Navarrese Government, María Chivite; the Regional Minister for Industry, Ecological Transition and Digital Business, Mikel Irujo; the CEO of i-DE from Iberdrola Group, Eva Mancera; as well as the Mayor of Valcarlos, Nicolás Camino.
The President of the Government of Navarre, María Chivite, stressed that "This is a solution that places Valcarlos on the innovation map, because there is no other facility like this in Europe, which, from now on, will not only guarantee electricity supply to the local residents. It will also serve as a test bench for an innovation project with which we will learn more about how to face the challenge of the energy transition and how we can adapt to the characteristics of renewable energy production". Chivite stressed that "And all, I insist, from this small town in the middle of the Pyrenees, which is far from everywhere, but which serves as an example of how the great challenges do require cross-cutting solutions that leave no one behind".
The Regional Minister for Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition of the Government of Navarre, Mikel Irujo, explained that "This storage battery connected to the distribution network, capable of supplying electricity to the village of Luzaide-Valcarlos in critical situations caused by bad weather, is a major advance that can serve as an example to be replicated in the future in other municipalities in the mountains and the Pyrenees, and today thanks to i-DE from Iberdrola España it is a reality here". "Energy infrastructures also contribute to territorial cohesion, something we have always defended. This Luzaide-Valcarlos battery is an example of this, an advance for the territory, for its residents and for its businesses", he added.
Eva Mancera, CEO of i-DE, a distributor of the Iberdrola Group, stressed that "i-DE is committed to the rural world and to innovation and digitalisation of the grid. It is also necessary in Spain to promote a regulatory framework that allows for increased investment in networks and thus favour the energy transition, which is especially important in a region with an important industrial fabric such as Navarre".
Prior to the commissioning of the Valcarlos battery, i-DE carried out a pilot project in Caravaca (Murcia). In 2019, the Company installed the first battery storage system for electricity grids in Spain in the Murcian municipality, enabling it to improve the quality of energy supply in Caravaca and the surrounding districts. The Company also has a system of these characteristics in Hornico (Murcia).
Furthermore, in order to study this type of installation, i-DE first implemented the same storage system to study its performance at its campus in San Agustín de Guadalix (Madrid).
Pyrenees Plan
In 2008, i-DE, together with the Government of Navarre, launched Pirineo Plan to strengthen the electricity infrastructure in the Navarre Pyrenees. Since then, around €20 million have been invested in the area. Among the actions carried out, the Bera and Aribe substations, the Aribe power line and various closures, voltage changes and automations stand out.
Iberdrola España's investment in Navarra, its purchases from over 80 local suppliers and its tax contribution had an economic impact of €263 million in the region, in 2023.
For 2024-2026, i-DE plans to invest €75m in the distribution network in Navarra. Part of this investment is earmarked for further progress in the digitalisation of the network.
The best ally, innovation
In order to maximise the exploitation possibilities of Valcarlos’ battery, the Microflex project has been launched, which will combine developments related to flexibility systems and microgrids in complex environments, such as those found in the locality.
Microflex, supported by the Government of Navarra, strengthens i-DE's collaboration scheme with Navarra's innovation ecosystem, with the involvement of the National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER), and with the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub, as a driving force for innovation, relying on the local industrial fabric.
The project also supports SMEs in the area, such as Adhoc and Ulartec, specialised in the use of Artificial Intelligence applied to the prediction of critical situations and smart charging of Electric Vehicles (EV).
Providing flexibility to the electricity grid is a fundamental step in the transition towards a green and 100% renewable economy, allowing for the efficient management of variability in the production of renewable energies, and facilitating their integration into the electricity system without affecting supply.
Superior supply quality
i-DE offers its customers the best quality of supply in the Spanish electricity sector, with a level of service quality 20% above average. In the last three years, the Company has improved the quality of the electricity supply it offers its customers by 15%. The index that measures this service – Interruption Time Equivalent to Installed Power (TIEPI) – accumulated to date is below 40 minutes.
The Company manages more than 270,000 kilometres of power lines – a distance equivalent to circling the earth almost seven times in 10 autonomous communities and 25 provinces. It also has 98,000 transformation centres in service and 1,000 substations. In recent years, the Company has undertaken an ambitious plan to digitalise its electricity grids, converting its more than 11 million meters and the infrastructure that supports them into smart meters, as well as incorporating remote management, supervision and automation capabilities.