ALMERIA.- The Minister of Industrial Policy and Energy of the Junta de Andalucía, Jorge Paradela Gutierrez, visited this Saturday the dismantling works of the thermal power plant of Almería Litoral together with the general manager of Endesa in Andalusia, Extremadura, Ceuta and Melilla, Rafael Sanchez Duran.
During the meeting, which was also attended by the members of the Endesa team in charge of the dismantling of the project and the socio-economic enhancement of the plant land, they checked the progress of the dismantling works .
The UTE Lecalde, a company formed by the Biscayan company Lezama Demoliciones, a company specializing in industrial dismantling, and by the Caldererías Indálicas, based in Almeria, was chosen by Endesa to carry out these tasks, according to a note from the society.
Paradela stressed during his visit that the commitment of his department is aimed at “responding to the loss of the industrial fabric” that the closure of the Almería thermal power plant means “with more and better industry”.
The Minister for Industrial Policy affirmed that “we want to help generate industrial opportunities linked to sectors of the future such as clean energy and the circular economy, seeking synergies with more traditional sectors with a strong presence in the province such as cement or natural stone and marble, which are also facing the process of ecological and digital transition”.
The general manager of Endesa in Andalusia, Extremadura, Ceuta and Melilla stressed that “this work represents a step forward in the process of just transition that Endesa is promoting in Andalusia, as in the rest of Spain, with the aim to replace the production capacity of this plant with clean and renewable technologies”.
“Endesa has decided to install some 1,500 megawatts of electricity, mainly photovoltaic, to replace the 1,159 megawatts of the thermal power plant that we have closed, which will mean some 1,200 million euros of investment and the creation of more than 2,000 equivalent jobs, as well as the creation of wealth and jobs in the region. The dismantling is, in itself, a commitment to local employment and is part of the Andalusian circular economy strategy” , said Rafael Sánchez Durán.
Also present at the visit were the Deputy Minister, Ana María Vielba Gómez, and the Territorial Delegate for Industrial Policy and Energy of Almería, Guillermo Casquet Fernandez,
DISMANTLING WORK FROM 4 TO 6 YEARS
This process of dismantling and demolition of all the buildings, installations and equipment of the factory, which will last approximately between 4 and 6 years, will involve an investment of 60 million euros and will be carried out according to the principles of the circular economy with the claim to recover materials greater than 90% and the final obtaining of a zero waste certificate.
For its execution, new direct jobs are created, up to a total of 82, in which local labor will prevail.
Specialized personal training has been promoted through a plan aimed at people around the plant, carried out in collaboration with the Andalusian Employment Service (SAE) and the Town Hall of Carboneras.
A total of four editions of courses of 200 hours each will take place, given in the facilities made available by the town hall of Carboneras, on the prevention of occupational risks, first aid, demolition work and additional training.
For the moment, 109 students have been trained and the training cycle will end in February 2023 with the last scheduled edition.
The plant dismantling project, in addition to promoting a culture that encourages the professional training of employees, supporting the development of social environments through local hiring, is based on criteria of circular economy and sustainable use of natural resources.
Endesa values all the plant’s assets, giving them a new useful life through donations to institutions, educational centers and non-profit entities in order to reduce waste production as much as possible.
To date, the plant has made donations to the Educational Centers of Carboneras, the University of Almería, the Consortium of Firefighters Poniente Almeriense or the Hydraulic Production Unit Endesa, among others, to share the value with the local community, generating a Social profit.
CONSTRUCTION OF A MICROALGAE PLANT
During the visit to the Litoral plant, the participants had the opportunity to see for themselves the progress of the construction of the microalgae production plant on an industrial scale, Algavillage, an innovative project created by the company with British capital Firglas and Biorizon Biotech, a company from Almería, which will be the third largest European plant for the production of microalgae by surface area and production capacity, as well as the second largest under cover.
This project, the first of an industrial type to be carried out near the factory after its closure, will generate direct investment of more than 3 million euros in the area during its construction and then its operation and maintenance.
This factory arises from the collaboration agreement signed between Endesa and Algavillage to give continuity to the research and development of the manufacture of microalgae that Endesa started in 2006 at the factory to generate new products and increase the profitability of microalgae cultivation technology on an industrial scale in its commitment to the blue economy in the areas of the Andalusian coast.
EUROPEAN PRESS
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