* Author: Millán García-Tola *
We recently completed the project to restore the mine from which the materials were taken for the construction of the Cortes-La Muela power plant, an initiative that 20 Iberdrola employees have been working on for a year and a half.
In my humble opinion, this work was absolutely perfect, with a level of efficiency that proves our company’s interest in projects that combine engineering, construction and environmental affairs. This was possible because of our experience acquired over more than a hundred years. Iberdrola is the leading electricity utility in Spain in the area of sustainable development, having always sought out the cleanest generation sources and strived for the lowest possible impact in the locations where it builds its facilities.
This is a special project because it was carried out in the area of Cortes de Pallás, one of the places where Iberdrola started out as a company in the early 20th century.
The idea of the restoration arose during the Environmental Impact Study stage of the project to build the Muela II pump storage station. It was during the underground works at the plant that it was discovered that it would be necessary to excavate galleries and caverns to house the reversible generators and transformers, as well as manholes to the pressurised piping system and for the generation cables to connect to the substation.
Iberdrola proposed that the former Cortes mine (surface area approx. 5 ha) should be used as the place to store the soil from the excavation works to build the new plant.
After the work was over, we drew up a project to restore this deposit, consisting of filling, sealing and redesigning the mine. The maintenance work is currently being carried out. This means that it was possible to restore the obsolete mine and adapt it to the incredibly beautiful natural surroundings.
We planted a total of 2,750 plants and installed protection in the form of biodegradable plastic tubes to prevent herbivores from feeding on them. The species used were selected according to the autochthonous vegetation in the area, with a special focus on some protected species. We contacted the La Hunde nursery, located in the town of Ayora in Valencia.
The results were excellent and I am proud to say that the area has been fully restored. However, joy is sometimes shortlived. This summer, Cortes de Pallás and the surrounding villages were engulfed by a terrible fire, among the worst ever in the history of Spain. More than 30,000 hectares were burned. That’s why I’d like to take advantage of this post to show my support to the people in this region, who are so supportive of our company, and say that I hope this incredibly beautiful county recovers quickly from the fire.
