Spanish electric utility Iberdrola has secured administrative authorisation from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge to build the 275 MW Valdecañas pumping project in Spain.
Located in Cáceres, the Valdecañas hydro project will also have a battery system hybridised with gensets. The battery features a capacity of 15 MW and once fully charged can reach 7.5 MWh of stored energy.
The combined battery and hydraulic units have an energy reserve of 210 GWh. This is equivalent to 5.2 million electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
The Valdecañas pumping project will utilise the available infrastructure and the Valdecañas and Torrejón reservoirs without modifying operating levels.
Iberdrola stated: “The pumping project uses cutting-edge technological solutions by using a hybrid battery system allowing rapid start-up of the units in pump mode, as well as optimising the capacity to regulate generation or demand for the integration of renewable energies into the electricity system by combining the rapid response of the battery with the energy firmness of the turbine.”
According to the electric utility, the project will have minimal impact on the surrounding area as the scope is solely electromechanical and does not require the construction of any civil infrastructure.
Image: The Valdecanas pumped-storage hydro power plant in Caceres, Spain (courtesy of Iberdrola)
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