Press office

Red Eléctrica earmarks €225 million up until 2018 for the development and improvement of infrastructure on Fuerteventura
  • This investment will increase the security and quality of the electricity supply on the island.
  • The new 132 kV Corralejo-Matas Blancas axis is foreseen to be brought into service within 20 months.


​Red Eléctrica has earmarked 225 million euros for the construction and improvement of electricity infrastructure to increase the security and quality of the electricity supply in Fuerteventura. Specifically, the Company will invest 210 million euros in the new 132 kV Corralejo-Matas Blancas axis, whose construction began recently and will finish in 2018.

In this way, Red Eléctrica de España strengthens its commitment to offer a quality electricity supply and reduce the vulnerability of the island of Fuerteventura, especially in the south, which accounts for 40% of the island's electricity demand.

The project for this new 132 kV line was declared as being of general interest by the government of the Canary Islands and obtained the necessary administrative authorisations. For the construction of the line, the route of the least social and environmental impact was chosen. The project, which also includes four new 132 kV electricity substations integrated into the landscape, will significantly increase the reliability of the current 66 kV infrastructure.

These are, therefore, highly relevant facilities that will enable the integration of the renewable generation foreseen on the island, which will imply a structural strengthening of the electricity transmission grid, with the consequent economic development of the area and, specifically, of the tourism sector.

Improvement in Fuerteventura’s transmission grid

The current 66 kV Corralejo-La Salinas, La Salinas-Gran Tarajal, Gran Tarajal-Matas Blancas line has been the main focal point of actions under the Grid Asset Improvement project (MAR project) in Fuerteventura, consisting of the replacement of the towers and insulators, among other improvements. Due to the existence of a single line in Fuerteventura, Red Eléctrica carried out these actions under live conditions to avoid interrupting the electricity supply.

For the period 2015-2018, Red Eléctrica foresees to allocate 15 million euros more to improve this infrastructure, which will result in the replacement of 310 towers, 88% of the total. To date, 66% of the existing towers have been replaced.

The improvement project for Fuerteventura’s transmission grid aims to adapt the electricity transmission infrastructure acquired by Red Eléctrica in 2010 to the quality standards of all its existing facilities on the Spanish peninsula; to resolve the existing deficiencies in the infrastructure, and to integrate the assets into the control systems of the Company, in order to guarantee the security of the electricity supply in the archipelago.

 

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