Transmission

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Visit our Red Eléctrica line and substation maintenance works.

Red Eléctrica is responsible for the transmission of high voltage power in Spain. To do so, it manages the electricity infrastructures that make up the transmission grid and connects the power generation stations to the points where the power is then distributed to consumers.

Red Eléctrica is the manager of the transmission grid and, as such, acts as the sole transmission agent under a regime of exclusivity as set out in Law 17/2007 of 4 July. In compliance with this Law, in 2010 Red Eléctrica carried out the acquisition of the extra-peninsular assets (Balearic and Canary Islands), as well as those transmission assets on the Spanish peninsula that were pending transfer from electric utility companies. This acquisition represents the definitive consolidation of the model which establishes Red Eléctrica as the sole transmission agent and electricity system operator.

As manager of the transmission grid, Red Eléctrica is responsible for developing and extending the grid, for maintaining it and managing the transmission of electricity between external systems and the peninsula and for guaranteeing third party access to the transmission grid under equal conditions.

Facilities in service

Red Eléctrica's transmission grid is composed of more than 41,200 kilometres of high voltage electricity lines and more than 5,000 substation bays, and has more than 78,000 MVA of transformer capacity. These assets make up a secure and reliable meshed grid that offers the highest level of service quality to the electricity system.

Transmission grid (peninsular and extrapeninsular)
Km de circuit	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
400 kV	17,727	18,019	18,792	19,671	20,104
220 kV	16,600	16,732	17,565	18,412	18,836
150-132-110 kV	75	75	280	295	295
150-132 kV	-	-	1,991	1,991	1,994
Total	34,402	34,825	38,629	40,369	41,229

Circuit bays at the substations (peninsular and extrapeninsular)
Number busbar connections	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
400 kV	1,057	1,118	1,189	1,253	1,319
220 kV	2,113	2,280	2,662	2,819	2,941
150-132-110 kV	4	4	47	52	52
<132 kV	-	-	723	741	741
Total	3,174	3,402	4,621	4,865	5,053

Transformer capacity (peninsular and extrapeninsular)
Power (MVA)	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Total	62,772	65,547	71,170	73,220	78,050