The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), through the Institute for Just Transition (ITJ), announced this Monday in the Official State Gazette (BOE) the launch of the tender for the Lancha 220 kV just transition node. The tender, which falls within the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, specifically in Component 10 of the “Just Transition” of Lever Policy 3 “Fair and inclusive energy transition”, aims to grant access rights to the electrical grid to renewable energy and storage projects.
This tender, offering a total capacity of 409 MW, will prioritize projects that reduce environmental impact and maximize local socio-economic benefits. The initiative seeks to promote the installation of renewable energies to drive additional industrial, agricultural, or social projects that help mitigate the impact of the closure of the Puente Nuevo thermal power plant in Espiel, positively impacting the Puente Nuevo-Valle del Guadiato Just Transition Agreement area.
The region benefiting from this tender includes eleven municipalities in the province of Córdoba: Belmez, Los Blázquez, Espiel, Fuente Obejuna, La Granjuela, Obejo, Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Valsequillo, Villaharta, Villanueva del Rey, and Villaviciosa de Córdoba. Renewable and storage facilities will be able to connect to both the Lancha 220 kV transmission grid node and the Puente Nuevo 132 kV distribution grid node, where the thermal power plant was connected.
Among the award criteria, in addition to minimizing environmental impact and investing in circular economy or biodiversity improvements, socio-economic benefits for the territory will be valued. These include promoting employment, especially for redundant power plant workers and women, supporting local industrial, agricultural, or social projects, providing training for residents, developing self-consumption, investing in the provincial value chain, and promoting local investor participation.
The just transition tender adds to other support instruments already implemented in the Puente Nuevo-Valle del Guadiato Just Transition Agreement area, such as calls for aid for job-generating business projects, small investment projects, and municipal projects and infrastructures, through which 21.5 million euros have already been granted in support of 32 projects in the area.
The deadline for submitting applications will begin on September 15 and will last for two months. via: Recovery Plan Government of Spain
Source: MiMub in Spanish