The burying of Iberdrola España's Cascajos substation in Logroño enters its final phase
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This morning, the provisional regional transmission system was dismantled and the City Council estimates that it will have the plot freed up in spring, where a new park and recreation area will be created for the city.
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The agreement signed at the end of 2021 between the Logroño City Council and Iberdrola España aimed to build a new substation with all its equipment underground and using the latest technology available in the electricity industry, which will improve the quality of supply, safety and its environmental impact.
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Iberdrola España cedes the plot of land freed up after completion of the works free of charge to Logroño City Council, part for road use and part for public open space.
This morning, the Councillor for Energy, Ángel Andrés, and the institutional representative of Iberdrola España in La Rioja, Carlos Sobrino, visited the works being carried out at the Cascajos substation, which are now in the final phase of dismantling the provisional regional transmission system, so that this year the City Council will be able to begin work on improving the area, starting with the construction of two new roads.
Iberdrola España’s work on this substation began in the last quarter of 2021, as set in the agreement signed by Logroño City Council and the company, an agreement that aims to bury the Cascajos substation in the same location where it is currently. Work has been carried out smoothly and will be completed in the spring of this year.
"We are continuing to make progress in the area around where it will be buried and completing work that is pending so that the city of Logroño can gain this space, all while continuing to provide the necessary energy service to the area", the councillor pointed out.
Andrés explained that "it has been a complex project, with a considerable investment and the result of close collaboration between Logroño City Council and Iberdrola España, which has allowed the necessary steps to be taken in line with the plan and without causing any significant problems". The councillor emphasised that "completion of these works will also make it possible to complete the development of Calle Miguel Delibes and improve its surrounding area".
Improving the environment and a new park
Ángel Andrés said that "Iberdrola España is giving the Logroño City Council the plot freed up after completion of the works free of charge; part for road use, in the first phase, and part for public open space". According to the councillor, "once the definitive substation has come into operation and the provisional one has been dismantled, all that remains to be done is to remove the construction fencing, enclose and prepare the plot, so the new space should be handed over to the Consistory in the spring".
"When the Town Hall has the plot, the project to improve the area will be developed, with a budget of €300,000 for the works, which aim to improve road safety in the area and create new recreational areas", the councillor indicated.
"Firstly, the council is planning the construction of two new roads in Miguel Delibes street, which will increase from two to four, which will improve mobility, the flow of traffic in the area and of pedestrians with the installation of a new pedestrian crossing in the street," said the councillor.
Also, said Andrés, "on the plot freed up, the City Council will create a new park and recreation area for the city, where green areas and structures will be installed for residents to visit and enjoy". The idea of the Consistory, he said, "is to turn it into a park to welcome travellers arriving at the station, so we’re looking for innovation and contemporaneity in its design". In his opinion, "it’s a question of beautifying the whole area, providing the neighbourhood and the city with new open-air spaces to meet, while at the same time improving the image of our city".
Improving safety and urban integration
For his part, the institutional representative of Iberdrola España in La Rioja, Carlos Sobrino, highlighted "the close collaboration between Iberdrola España and Logroño City Council to define the best technical and economic solution for the current substation and the consensus reached for its integration, aesthetically and urbanistically, in the new spaces created from putting the railway underground".
"The new substation, with all the equipment underground and the use of the latest technologies available in the electricity industry, will improve supply safety and quality, with special attention paid to its perfect integration into the urban landscape", added the representative of Iberdrola España in La Rioja.
He added that there was a "need to increase investment in electricity infrastructure, in line with Iberdrola España's firm commitment to strengthen grids as the best alternative to competitively decarbonise current energy uses, within the obligatory scenario of energy transition and decarbonisation in which we find ourselves".
The cost of modifying the substation was €5,895,533 before VAT. Iberdrola España is contributing €1,500,000 before VAT to the cost of this installation, and the Logroño City Council €4,395,533 before VAT.
The work carried out by Iberdrola España has been divided into five phases: the first two involved dismantling the old installation; the third, the installation and connection of a provisional substation; the fourth focused on the construction of the new substation (already completed and fully operational); and the fifth, the current phase, the dismantling of the provisional substation, the construction of the enclosure and the development of the freed-up plot of land.
This is a completely underground project, in which the equipment is below the level of Miguel Delibes street, and only the access buildings and ventilation columns will be visible. The study of alternatives for the enclosure was carried out by Iñaki Ábalos and Renata Sentkiewicz. The study includes a careful architectural design that will envelop these facilities in a novel way and contribute to Logroño's further aesthetic and functional improvement by perfecting the development of the Cascajos neighbourhood.
Specific modification of the General Municipal Plan
To integrate the private ceded plot at number 15 Marqués de Larios Street, where the provisional Cascajos transformer station is located, into the urban fabric of the neighbourhood, the Local Government Board of 23 October provisionally approved the project for the specific modification of the General Municipal Plan on this plot.
This will give continuity to the surrounding road section to absorb the volume of traffic in the area and improve the relationship of this plot with the urban environment.
Cascajos Distribution Transformer Substation
The Cascajos Distribution Transformer Substation was installed in 1990 in what was then the Cascajos Industrial Estate to meet the increase in demand that could no longer be covered by the Varea and El Arco stations.
It currently takes up a very important part of the city's Central-South sector with significant and ever-increasing energy demands. The solution proposed for its maintenance at this point by burying it underground aims to increase people's safety, reduce the environmental impact and improve supply quality, as well as reduce the surface area it takes up by 50%.
