The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has issued the favorable environmental impact statement for the Los Guájares reversible hydroelectric power plant (Rules reservoir), a project of 356,872 MW promoted by Villar Mir EnergĂa. The resolution, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), sets strict conditions that must be met to protect the environment and resources.
These facilities operate as a system of pumped storage, key to integrating wind and photovoltaic power. In parallel, the Government is preparing a roadmap to expand the grid reversible power plants, while other cases in Spain are progressing, such as that of Magtel in Entrepenas.
What project has been approved and where
The General Directorate of Quality and Environmental Assessment establishes that the action includes a newly created upper reservoir, a machine cavern and an evacuation line from the SET Guájares up to the SET Mizán. The scope affects the terms of Velez de Benaudalla, El Pinar, Los Guájares and Padul, in the province of Granada.
The resolution states that the file was submitted to public participation and consultations, and that the DIA does not exempt from obtaining the rest of the sectoral authorizations. Specifically, it establishes mandatory preventive, corrective and compensatory measures to guarantee a compatible execution with the environment.
The developer provided geotechnical campaigns and a stability model of pond, intake and cavern. Following the extensions requested by administrations, the technical feasibility with reinforced tracking and design tweaks to the bottom intake.
Technical magnitude and planned works
With 356,872 MW, would be the largest power generation facility in the province if it is built. The power far exceeds the 96 MW which add up to the 28 mini hydroelectric power plants in Granada together, which gives an idea of ​​its scale.
The upper raft will occupy about 24 hectares, with an approximate capacity of 1,4 hmÂł, at an altitude above 800 meters, which enables a hydraulic jump close to 600 metersBetween the Rules reservoir and the pond there will be a pipeline of almost 3 kilometers, with diameters varying between 4 and 5 meters, partially in a trench and in a tunnel.
The estimated earthworks are around 2,3 million mÂł, with a surplus deposit close to heritage elements such as the Tower of the BarleyThe work would extend around five years, with specific planning of accesses, platforms and auxiliary areas.
The calculated affected area is 31,56 hectares for the main infrastructures of the plant and 20,12 hectares by the power line (overhangs, accesses and supports). The developer estimates the elimination of 18.543 feet of vegetation over one metre high, with compensation and restoration measures.
The evacuation of energy will start from the SET Guájares through a line of about 6,5 km and 24 supports up to the SET Mizán, and then it will link up with others 14 km (with underground sections) towards the future SET of Saleres in the Lecrin Valley.
Environmental conditions and control measures
The file identifies risks of erosion and landslides on the right slope of the Rules reservoir, with antecedents such as the landslides of Ventura (globally inactive) and The Reef (active). The area also suffered a large fire in 2022, which increases susceptibility to soil loss.
Among the conditions imposed, the following stand out: revegetation and compensation for removed vegetation: double replacement of native shrubs and bushes and compensation of trees based on the number of feet and their estimated age. Continuous geotechnical monitoring is required on site and in operation, with immediate notification to the Board of any sign of instability.
The Miteco establishes that the operation of the Rules reservoir will not be subject to the work, demands seismographs at the dam during blasting and supports a lower intake alternative that avoids keeping the level below elevation 222 during prolonged periods.
The DIA includes possible conditions to water quality (turbidity, accidental spills) during the construction of the intake and accesses, potential impact on groundwater and compatibility with the Granada–Motril gas pipelineControl measures and contingency plans are prescribed.
In wildlife, the study points to risks for gliding birds and birds of prey. Special attention is paid to common buzzard, short-toed eagle, common kestrel and lesser kestrel, with assessment of danger of collision with the power lines; also monitoring of possible refuges of the bigeye buzzard bat, with work being stopped if critical specimens or areas are detected.
- Periodic control and reporting of erosive processes and slope stability.
- Measures of plant restoration and reinforced compensation.
- Minimizing impact on water quality and protection of recreational uses.
- Protocols The fauna and collision monitoring on power lines.
The developer provided reports signed by professors from the University of Granada and the Polytechnic University of Madrid. According to these analyses, the daily swings reservoir level changes associated with the operation would not compromise the stability of the large landslides mapped, and the location and design of the lower intake would avoid impacting on landslides.
Political and social reactions
The Andalusian parliamentarian Alejandra Durán (For Andalusia/Podemos), a resident of the area, has shown her rejection of the project due to the risk of erosion and landslides, due to the elimination of native trees and scrub and the impact on various bird species. It also questions the evacuation line and its impact.
Durán believes that particular interests are prioritized over the general interest and expresses support for part of the agrarian sector in the event of any impact on available water. On the other hand, the regional administration issued a favorable report in terms of dam safety and reservoir operation after analyzing the additional information from the developer.
National context: the role of pumping
Reversible power plants use the surplus energy to raise water to a higher reservoir and recover it when demand grows, providing flexibility to the system and support for the integration of variable renewables.
Spain already has several facilities, including The Molar II (JĂşcar, Valencia), considered the largest in Europe of its kind. However, the current capacity falls short of absorbing all the green surpluses at certain times.
Ecological Transition has contracted the preparation of a Roadmap to identify where, how, and in what order to tap state-owned reservoirs for pumped storage purposes. This technical work, valued at several million euros, will serve as the basis for future Competitions.
The objective is to reduce discharges of untapped renewable energy, ensure the supply during peak hours and reduce the use of fossil fuels when there is no wind or sun, advancing the objectives of the NECP and the Climate Change Law.
Other projects in the pipeline
In Guadalajara, the company Magtel has presented the “Entrepeñas Reversible Hydroelectric Development” of 644 MWThe design includes four reversible Francis groups of 161 MW each, a maximum flow rate of 200 m³ / s and a useful tank volume greater than 6,5 hm³, with storage capacity of around 7GWh.
The average net jump is between 304 and 330 meters, with a hydraulic circuit that includes a 6,5 m diameter and 527 m long steel pipe, and a 7 m and 2.060 m long suction duct. The machine house will be underground (about 115 m) and the planned evacuation at 400 kV towards the Budia substationThe project is in the environmental processing phase and is associated with economic impact and employment in the area.
In the province of Granada other applications are also processed reversible power plants, including a second proposal in Rules of 1.048 MW and another in NegratĂn, which confirms the interest in reinforcing the storage in the south of the peninsula.
With the favorable DIA, the Los Guájares reversible power plant advances an important step, but its materialization will depend on complying in detail with the environmental conditions, the obtaining of pending permits and the outcome of the territorial dialogue. The boom in pumping in Spain places these works at the center of the energy debate, between the need for renewable backup and the preservation of natural values.