Iberdrola y Naturgy desafían a REE y Endesa con una alianza hidroeléctrica

Iberdrola, Spain's leading electricity company, and Naturgy, the country's third-largest energy provider, have formed an unprecedented alliance in the hydroelectric sector. The two companies have joined forces under a joint venture called A Senra Infrastructures to embark on new projects in this field.

Although legally established months ago, the partnership is only now taking shape. A Senra Infrastructures has applied to the Confederación Hidrográfica del Miño-Sil (CHMS) for a license to utilize up to 75,000 liters per second of water from the Sil and Edrada rivers in the Ourense municipality of Parada de Sil. This water would be used to create a hydroelectric storage system.

The application, published in this week's Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), opens a one-month period for public information and competitor project submissions. This procedure allows other companies to present alternatives during the month-long period. Currently, there is no decision on investment for this initiative, but the news is certainly setting the stage for other companies to consider hydroelectric storage systems.

The buzz is on Endesa and Red Eléctrica (REE), who are also interested in pumping stations. Repsol, with its famous Aguayo project in Cantabria, is also watching the developments closely.