As Pontes power station
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As Pontes power station is an operating power station of at least 1591-megawatts (MW) in As Pontes de García Rodríguez, O Eume, A Coruña (La Coruña), Galicia, Spain with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as A Coruna, Puentes.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| As Pontes power station | As Pontes de García Rodríguez, O Eume, A Coruña (La Coruña), Galicia, Spain | 43.441395, -7.862578 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 43.441395, -7.862578
- Unit 5: 43.4451, -7.8621
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal - bituminous | 368.9 | subcritical | – | 1976 | 2024 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal - bituminous | 366.4 | subcritical | – | 1977 | 2024 (planned) |
| Unit 3 | retired | coal - bituminous | 366.2 | subcritical | – | 1978 | 2022 |
| Unit 4 | retired | coal - bituminous | 367 | subcritical | – | 1979 | 2022 |
| Unit 5 | operating[1][2] | liquefied natural gas[3] | 856[1][2] | combined cycle[2] | no[1] | 2008[4] | – |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Endesa SA [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 2 | Endesa SA [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 3 | Endesa SA [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 4 | Endesa SA [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 5 | Endesa SA[5][4] | Endesa SA [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): imported
Background
As Pontes power station is a four-unit coal-fired power plant with a total capacity of 1,468.5 MW. The plant was completed between 1976 and 1979, and is owned by Enel.[6] According to Industcards, the Pontes plant has been converted to run on imported coal only, as local lignite reserves have declined.[7]
In May 2018, Endesa said it planned to invest more than EUR 200 million to bring the plant in line with EU pollution standards by 2020.[8] In May 2019, Endesa confirmed that the company had so far invested €77 million in pollution upgrades at AS Pontes.[9]
In September 2019, Endesa said it had halted conversion work on units 3 and 4 of the plant as it reconsiders the plant's future.[10] In December 2019 Endesa submitted an application to close the coal plant at an unspecified date. The capacity will be replaced with renewables.[11]
In May 2021, it was announced that the planned closure of the As Pontes plant in northern Spain would not be taking place as planned on June 30, 2021. The Spanish government asked Endesa to submit more information on the impact of the phaseout and dismantling the plant on the local environment. Local workers who expected to be employed in the dismantling effort by the end of 2021 have expressed concern over the decision which may delay the start of their contracts into 2022. As Pontes is the sole remaining coal-fired power plant in Spain still lacking the environmental approval required to shut down.[12]
As of January 2022, the plant was still operational. However, three units were on standby in order to stay within emissions limits and avoid violation.[13]
In September 2022, Spain’s Minister for the Ecological Transition approved the retirement of two coal-fired units at the As Pontes power station. The remaining two coal-fired units would be mothballed and remain available until further notice due to energy security concerns. Following the announcement, Endesa released an investment plan for replacing the lost generation, including a 1.3 GW wind farm.[14]
In May 2023, it was reported that the two remaining units had re-entered operation and the plant's staff had been reinforced to continue plant operation through the summer of 2023. [15] The plant's operators reportedly intended to burn existing stored coal at the plant's two formerly mothballed plants through July and August of 2023. [15] A news article confirmed that operators intended to burn the 200,000 tons of coal already stored at the plant by August of the same year. [16]
In August 2023, Endesa was to retire the two operational coal units within one year.[17]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20240124172603/https://transparency.entsoe.eu/. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20230104102433/http://www.ree.es/en/datos/publications/annual-system-report/spanish-electricity-system-2020-report. Archived from the original on 04 January 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220527180928/https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/as-pontes-thermal-power-plant-galicia/. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20210713221145/https://www.eldiario.es/economia/endesa-centrales-as-pontes-carboneras_1_1171518.html. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220811030843/https://ieefa.org/resources/ieefa-europe-looming-eu-anti-pollution-standards-undercut-recent-coal-investments. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ As Pontes power station, GEO, accessed April 2016
- ↑ "Coal-Fired Plants in Spain - other regions," Industcards, accessed April 2016
- ↑ "Endesa launches the revamping of the As Pontes plant to reduce emissions by up to 80%," Endesa, March 13, 2018
- ↑ "IEEFA Europe: Looming EU anti-pollution standards undercut recent coal investments," IEEFA, Nov 27, 2019
- ↑ "Fundamentals draw sting from Spain's coal phase out," Platts, Sep 23, 2019
- ↑ "Endesa requests closure of the As Pontes and Carboneras coal plants". Spain's News. 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
- ↑ "Trámites ambientales demorarán el cierre de la central térmica pontesa," La Voz de Galicia, Apr. 23, 2021
- ↑ "La estampa no cambia en As Pontes tras diez semanas desde la reactivación," Diario de Ferrol, January 24, 2022
- ↑ "Spain approves the closure of a 1.4 GW coal-fired plant, with conditions," Enerdata, September 20, 2022
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "La central de Endesa en As Pontes (A Coruña) mantendrá su actividad hasta septiembre," El Español, May 18, 2023
- ↑ "La central térmica de Endesa en As Pontes prorroga su actividad hasta el próximo mes de septiembre," El Correo Gallego, May 18, 2023
- ↑ "El Gobierno autoriza el cierre de la central térmica de As Pontes," El Periódico de la Energía, August 17, 2023
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datases, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
