electrical network came to shuffle in recent years up to 62 locations for the new pumped hydroelectric plant to be installed in Tenerife for strengthen, diversify and make more sustainable the fragile insular electricity system. The presentation ceremony for the start of the cable works that will link the supply networks of the islands of Tenerife and La Gomera, held this Monday, March 20, 2023 in Isora Guidewas also the first big public engagement confirming the agreement between the administrations and entities involved so that this key facility is located in the old area of extraction of aggregates of the municipality of Güímar.
Beatrice Corridorthe president of redeathe group to which it belongs electrical networkmade it clear that «Tenerife needs, as it is already underway in Gran Canaria, that storage system that allows the integration of more renewables. The most efficient and effective storage system is undoubtedly pumping. Within Tenerife, studies have been carried out on different locations, but all these studies agree that the Güímar will probably be the best. Not only from the point of view of the electrical infrastructure itself, but also to recover a space that is degraded for reasons that everyone knows”, he said, referring to the damage caused by the illegal extraction of aggregates.
Corredor acknowledged that “preliminary studies are being carried out and, always in accordance with the Government of the Canary Islands and the Government of Spain, as soon as we can, we will launch it ». So that there is no doubt, he remarked that “it is planned to build a pumping station in Tenerife as quickly as possible.”
Satisfaction of Ángel Víctor Torres
Following this pronouncement by the head of Red Eléctrica, the regional president Angel Victor Torres expressed his satisfaction for “listening to Beatrice Corridor to make this commitment to the island of Tenerife and, therefore, I believe that it is a first great commitment to achieve that fundamental sustainable energy storage in Tenerife, as we transferred in its day to the Minister of Ecological Transition. We will continue walking in this direction, without shortcuts and with the clear objective that in 2040 we have to achieve 100% clean and sustainable energy in the Canary Islands».
Torres added that this plant is “a very important objective because, in addition, it entails an environmental recovery. Take advantage of the orography and the existing reality to have that waterfall plant». He assured that “we are talking about an investment of many hundreds of millions of euros, but things have to be fought for, proposed and ended up being achieved.”
From Gorona del Viento to Chira Soria
The Canarian president recalled that after creating an installation of this type in Gorona del Viento, on the island of El Hierrolast year the great project of the Chira Soria hydroelectric plant, in Gran Canariaand now it is the turn of Tenerife, with an infrastructure that would also benefit the island of La Gomera.
Regarding the judicial problems that affect these lands, still pending the ruling of the Supreme Court on the so-called Aggregates case, Torres said that “the will of the administrations has always been to collaborate with justice and seek solutions. And what we are proposing now is an energy solution that is reasonable, logical and operational, and that also has the support of the Canarian administrations, and also from Redeia and the Government of Spain».
A hydroelectric plant of this type is a large construction with four key elements: the two water reservoirs, for which Guimar already has clearings; the power station, and the large conduction pipe, about five meters in diameter, to move the water between both reservoirs. In addition, you must connect to a high voltage line. The current consensus is a key step in the tortuous administrative process required for such a facility, which will take years before it can be bid for and built.
What is a pumped hydroelectric plant?
A pumped, reversible or jumping hydroelectric plant is an electrical energy storage facility that has two large water reservoirs, located at different levels. It can pump water to the upper elevation when there is surplus electrical energy (which cannot be stored) and generate new energy when needed, letting the water and the drop power its turbines.
How does it work?
This type of plants can operate in pumping mode and turbine mode. Pumping consists of the fact that the water is carried from the lower reservoir to the upper one using electrical energy from the network, for example, surpluses from renewables at night. Thus it is stored in the form of potential energy in the upper reservoir. Later it can be used when consumption increases. In turbination mode the order is reversed. The water goes from the upper to the lower reservoir, returning the energy to the network at times of greatest consumption. The water stored in the upper reservoir circulates through the pipeline to the lower one, driving the turbines of the plant and integrating the accumulated renewable energy into the system. The cycle can be repeated continuously.
How much does it cost?
Red Eléctrica is currently building a hydroelectric plant in Chira Soria, in Gran Canaria. This project was conceived with an initial cost of around 409 million euros, but inflation raised its budget at the end of 2022 above 589 million euros. The location of Güímar could make these costs more expensive due to the absence of large reservoirs already built, as in the case of the Chira and Soria dams. In Tenerife there are clearings due to the extraction of aggregates that would serve to house the water, but reservoirs would have to be enabled.
How long till?
The Chira Soria hydroelectric plant, whose works are already underway, has a completion period of about two years. They began there in February 2022 and it is expected that it can begin to pump water and generate electricity in the first quarter of 2024. In the case of Güímar, the project is for now only an intention shared by the institutions that, in addition, must wait for the judicial horizon of these lands to be completely cleared.
