Compostilla power station

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Compostilla power station is a retired power station in Cubillos del Sil, El Bierzo, León, Castilla y León, Spain.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Compostilla power station Cubillos del Sil, El Bierzo, León, Castilla y León, Spain 42.612178, -6.564551 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5: 42.612178, -6.564551

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 retired coal - bituminous 141 subcritical 1961 2012
Unit 2 retired coal - bituminous 147.9 subcritical 1965 2016
Unit 3 retired coal - bituminous 337.2 subcritical 1972 2020
Unit 4 retired coal - bituminous 358.6 subcritical 1981 2020
Unit 5 retired coal - bituminous 355.9 subcritical 1984 2020

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner
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 [100.0%]

Background

The Compostilla power station was originally commissioned in 1961 to provide electricity to the province of Castilla y León. Several larger units were added in the following two decades. Coal for the plant is sourced from the basins of El Bierzo, Villablino, and Laciana, as well as imported from abroad.[1][2] Water to cool the plant is sourced from the Barcena Reservoir.[1]

In the 2000s, the plant was equipped with desulfurization and denitrification technologies. Units four and five were fitted with flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems from 2005 to 2008.[2] However, in 2009, the plant still emitted 2.64 million tonnes of CO2.

In 2008, the original 141MW unit was closed. This was followed by the shutdown of Unit 2 in 2016.[2]

In December 2018, the plant's operator and sponsor, Endesa, petitioned the government to shut down the remaining units, as tightened emissions regulations, the investment required for environmental upgrades, and increased carbon emissions prices made the plant unprofitable.[3][4] The plant was allowed to close on June 30, 2020, along with six others of the fifteen coal plants in Spain. Compostilla produced no energy in 2020 (before the closure) due to the Covid pandemic.[3]

NS Energy Business previously reported that Endesa was planning to construct 300 MW of solar power projects, along with a 20 MW wind farm (representing a total investment of 260 million Euros).[2] However, according to Endesa's more-recently updated website, they are currently planning to develop up to 700 MW of renewable projects near the now-retired Compostilla plant to make up for lost capacity. They estimate a total investment of 600 million Euros. They also say that dismantling the plant will take up to five years (and generate 1,000 jobs per year), thus reducing the economic impacts of the closure in the area. In line with this goal, they are also promoting professional training for workers to help them transition to the renewable energy sector.[5]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 http://globalenergyobservatory.org/geoid/43678
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Compostilla Thermal Power Plant, Leon - NS Energy". NS Energy Business. Retrieved 2021-07-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Planelles, Manuel; Urra, Susana (2020-06-29). "Spain to close half its coal-fired power stations". EL PAÍS. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  4. "Endesa to Close Two Giant Spanish Coal Plants". POWER Magazine. 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  5. "Futur-e at Compostilla". Endesa. Retrieved 2021-07-13.

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.