The Basque Government achieves the commitment to expand the power of the electricity grid in the Basque Country to 6,000 MW, 50% more than the current one

• The Basque Country guarantees the electricity supply to cover in the long term the energy needs of its industry, through an unprecedented investment that will be completed in the next 5 years.
• To achieve this additional power of 50%, almost all of the existing substations will be operated, with more than 20 performances and 10 new substations will be created.
• The Basque Government manages to increase the investments in the Transport Planning Horizon 2030 that will result in 6,000 additional MW in our electricity networks: through 2,300 MW from the transport network for distribution support points and large industrial demands, 750 MW for own electricity renewable generation, and enabling 3,000 additional MW in the distribution network for the decarbonization and growth of our current industry.
• This increase in investment has been made possible by the approval, on July 28, of the Royal Decree regulating the investment plans of the electricity transmission and distribution networks in the State. This Royal Decree responds to the proposal made by the Basque Government to the Ministry to increase investments in electricity transmission and distribution networks in the Basque Country.
• This proposal for investments in transport networks, together with the approval of the distribution network plans in the Basque Country, creates an ideal framework for the present and future connection needs of the Basque industry.
  The new regulatory framework establishes an open and flexible planning, capable of adapting to new electrical needs and anticipating the growth of the industry.
• Industry Councillor, Mikel Jauregi: “We are very satisfied with this achievement, which is the result of many months of work, negotiation and defense of the interests of the Basque Country”.

 The Basque Government has reached the commitment to increase investments in the electricity transmission network to increase the power of the electricity network in the Basque Country to 6,000 megawatts by 2030. This significant increase of 50% will guarantee the supply necessary to meet the energy needs of the Basque industry in the coming years, through an investment in unprecedented electrical infrastructure that is expected to materialize in 5 years.

The Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, announced this agreement in the visit he made this morning to the substation of Starka in the company of Joan Groizard, Secretary of State for Energy of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

Jauregi explained the importance that this expansion will have for the industrial and energy development of the Basque Country and to facilitate the connection of new industrial projects. “Today we take a giant step to solve one of the biggest problems in our industry: the lack of plugs. Last year we announced a draft agreement that increased our electric power by 40%. Today we announce that the final version of the investment plan raises this power to 50%. In the next five years we will have 50% more outlets in the Basque Country”.

The counselor stressed that “to achieve this additional power of 50%, almost all of the existing substations will be operated, with more than 20 actions and 10 new substations will be created. This 50% expansion will result in 6,000 additional megawatts over the next five years and will meet the decarbonization and growth needs of our current industry and allow us to attract strategic investments to our country.”

“We are very satisfied with this achievement, which is the result of many months of work, negotiation and defense of the interests of the Basque Country,” concluded Councilor Mikel Jauregi.

The compromise reached will be incorporated into the Horizon 2030 Transport Network Planning. The Basque Government has managed to raise the power forecast for the Basque Country to 6,000 MW, having taken into account the allegations presented to the proposal published by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

To achieve this additional power of 50%, almost all of the existing substations will be operated, with more than 20 performances and 10 new substations will be created.

Specifically, a new substation south of Vitoria-Gasteiz will respond to the growth and modernization of its industrial area. In Aiaraldea, the improvement of the Ayala substation will contribute to the industrial recovery of the region. In Bizkaia, the capacity of the Trika substation will be extended to promote the development of the Zamudio Technological Park and the eastern part of Bizkaia. In addition, the reinforcement of the connection between Santurtzi and Ortuella will facilitate the implementation of new projects in this environment. In Gipuzkoa, the new Urola substation will guarantee security of supply and boost the industrial activity of the coast; in addition, the extensions of Ormaiztegi and Arkale will support, respectively, the industrial recovery of the Goierri and the development of the environment of Pasaia.

The Basque Government manages to increase the investments in the Transport Planning Horizon 2030 that will result in 6,000 additional MW in our electricity networks: through 2,300 MW from the transport network for distribution support points and large industrial demands, 750 MW for own electricity renewable generation, and enabling 3,000 additional MW in the distribution network for the decarbonization and growth of our current industry.

This planning provides a stable framework for attracting new strategic investments and anticipating the connection needs of the existing industry and new projects. At the same time, the planned review mechanisms will allow it to be updated and adapted to the evolution of electricity demand, so that the capacity of the network can accompany future industrial investments with greater agility.

In this sense, the Minister has stressed that this result responds to a priority of the Basque Government: to ensure that the electricity network advances at the same pace as the needs of growth, modernization and decarbonization of the industry.

A new framework to boost investments

This increase in investment has been possible thanks to the approval, on July 28, of the Royal Decree that regulates the investment plans of the electricity transmission and distribution networks in the State, increasing the volume of investment planned in electricity networks.

The new regulation responds to the proposal transferred by the Basque Government to the Ministry to increase investments for electricity transmission and distribution networks in the Basque Country.

This new framework makes it possible to increase the volume of investment allocated to electricity networks and covers planning with greater capacity to adapt to the evolution of industrial demand. In this way, the actions are not limited to solving current needs, but prepare the network to incorporate new connections and accelerate strategic investments as they materialize.

The transport network consists of large infrastructures of very high voltage that enable the exchange of large amounts of energy between different territories, bringing generation and consumption together. The distribution network allows that energy to later reach industries, homes and public services. Coordinated reinforcement of both networks is essential to ensure supply and facilitate new connections.

Substations are installations that allow to transform and distribute the electricity so that it can reach, with the appropriate tension, to the industrial installations in which there is demand.

Response to the present and future Basque industry

The proposal for investments in the transport network, together with the approval of the plans corresponding to the distribution network, generates an ideal framework to respond to the present and future connection needs of the Basque industry.

The commitment will respond to the connection needs identified by 117 consumer intensive companies, which guarantees the continuity of more than 70,000 jobs in the Basque Country, and is the main energy milestone for the Basque industry. Its scope will allow to offer a long-term supply perspective to industrial projects that need to have more electric power to decarbonize, grow, expand, modernize their facilities or advance in the electrification of their productive processes. In addition, it will allow us to attract new foreign investments and new industry.

The availability of electric power has become a strategic factor for competitiveness. The growth of industrial activity, the electrification of productive processes and the progressive replacement of fossil fuels, require stronger networks and are prepared to meet an increasing demand.

The Basque Government will continue to work with the Ministry and with the agents responsible for the networks so that the planning is finally approved before the end of the year. The objective is that the planned investments can be launched as soon as possible and that new infrastructures are available as the electricity needs of the Basque Country increase.

Transformative Projects of the Industry Plan

The Industry Plan – Euskadi 2030 reflected 23 Transformative Projects of both public and private leadership. To these have been added 2 new Transformative Projects of private leadership, which are “Zero Emissions Marine Boat” and “Intelligent Hydrogels for Nanomedicine”.

The Industry Plan is a dynamic plan on which Transformative Projects are developed, so it is expected that new projects will continue to be incorporated as industrial needs evolve.

In total, of the 25 current Transformative Projects, 16 have already been launched: 10 of them led by the public sector and 6 led by the private sector.

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