Red Eléctrica commissions the new 220 kV Caletillas substation
  • The commissioning of the substation coincides with the improvement and maintenance works of the transmission grid in Candelaria and in the southeast of Tenerife

Red Eléctrica, a subsidiary of Redeia responsible for the transmission of electricity and operation of the Spanish electricity system, commissions the new 220 kV Caletillas substation. The substation, which is a very important infrastructure for the Tenerife electricity system, is part of a set of measures the Company is putting in place to guarantee the security of supply not only in the metropolitan area of the city of Tenerife but also the in entire northern area of the island.

The new substation, which represented an investment of €10 million,  incorporates Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) technology housed inside a building, and as a result, occupies less space and provides greater reliability than a conventional substation.

The substation is part of the 220 kV Caletillas-El Rosario axis, comprised of the 220/66 kV El Rosario substation and the 66 kV connection lines, which will be energised in a second phase in order to bolster the electricity supply to the metropolitan area and the north of Tenerife, and to increase the overall security and quality of supply on the island.

The new Caletillas substation reduces the dependence that the north of Tenerife currently has on the Candelaria substation, thus improving the security of supply for a significant volume of the island's electricity demand.

Furthermore, many of the lines that are currently connected to the Candelaria substation will progressively be connected to the new Caletillas substation, therefore reducing vulnerability, increasing the security of supply and also reducing the visual impact of the infrastructure. In this regard, the new Caletillas substation has been designed in collaboration with the School of Architecture of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and incorporates a vertical plant wall that uses local flora, and which complies with the conditions established in the project's Environmental Impact Statement.

Maintenance of the Granadilla 220 kV substation

The commissioning of the new Caletillas substation, which is located next to the Candelaria thermal power station, coincides with maintenance work on the transmission grid at the 220 kV Granadilla substation and on the 220 kV Granadilla-Candelaria direct current feeder line.

The maintenance work will be performed during the Bank Holidays and at weekends between this Sunday, 23 April and 14 May in order to ensure the continuity and quality of the electricity supply. In this way, the works will be carried out on days of lower energy demand in order to minimise disruptions to users.