The Mediterranean Basin Unit of the Hydraulic Generation Division has reasons to celebrate, as 6th October of this year marks the 100th anniversary of its Lucas de Urquijo hydroelectric power plant, better known as the “Salto de Víllora” facility on the River Cabriel.
1914 marked a significant year in world history as it sparked the start of World War I.
Hidroeléctrica Española had started operating in Spain. The company had been set up in 1907, with Lucas de Urquijo y Urrutia as Chairman and Juan de Urrutia y Zulueta in the role of Managing Director. The latter had backed its creation with the initial goal of building and operating the “Salto de El Molinar” dam on the mid-segment of the River Júcar. This project completed in the year 1909 was one of the milestones in the Eastern or ‘Levante’ region of Spain in the early days of what is now Iberdrola. It was from there that the first high voltage power line (66 kV) installed in Spain was laid. Stretching over a distance of 250 km, it was built to meet the growing need for energy in the Spanish capital, with its brand-new fleet of electric trams.
In the early 20th century, the electrification of urban public transport, combined with public street lighting and the increasing demand for this clean, easily transportable form of energy in domestic and industrial settings were the clearest signs of modernity in Spanish cities, with the capital city at the forefront.
Demand grew at an exponential rate from one year to the next and the earliest “electricity factories”, most of which were coal-fired thermal generation plants with a strong local focus, were not able to adequately meet the needs for the near future. A change was needed, both in terms of the scale of generation and of the sources of supply. This is where hydroelectric generation made its appearance, with large-scale projects such as the now decommissioned “Salto del Molinar” dam and the “Salto de Víllora” facility that is still in operation (Lucas de Urquijo Hydro Power Plant).
The rush to develop the peninsular hydroelectric generation system in the early decades of the 20th century meant that the Salto de Víllora dam was built in the space of just one year. The concession for the dam on the River Cabriel was purchased from Mr. Casanova on 16 August 1913. Work began in September and reached completion on 27 July 1914. One detail that highlights the importance given to this type of projects is that Juan de Urrutia himself worked on site for the final months of the construction process, having been replaced in his duties at the Headquarters in Madrid by Assistant Director Leandro de Pinedo. After thirteen frenetic months of construction, it was inaugurated on 6 October 1914 with an installed capacity of 12 MW.
Located in the municipality of Enguídanos, this power plant harnesses the water from the headwaters of the River Cabriel after the Víllora Dam. Given that the capacity of this dam was very limited, it was decided that same year to build another one upstream, Bujioso, to regulate the flow on the river and meet peak demand for electricity at the time. This functionality was further reinforced a few years later, in 1921, when the El Batanejo dam and the hydroelectric power plant by the same name were built on the Guadazaón, a tributary of the Cabriel. Its installed capacity was slightly over 2 MW.
Finally, the La Lastra counter reservoir was built after the meeting of the two rivers, to avoid the variations in flow resulting from the intermittent turbine operation caused by the dam. Following the construction of the Contreras dam downstream, La Lastra was decommissioned and is no longer in use.
This power plant was extended in 1925 and 1945, when a further two vertical generators with a higher capacity were added. This meant that it had to be equipped with an additional channel and load chamber, which gave its hydraulic circuit its current peculiar appearance and brought its total capacity to about 40 MW.
The Lucas de Urquijo hydro power plant located in the municipality of Víllora now belongs to the Mediterranean Basin Unit of the Hydraulic Generation Division. Its maintenance needs are covered by Iberdrola’s Júcar Output Centre. At the end of the 1990s it was adapted to enable remote control as part of the META project. It has been remotely operated since the year 2000 along with other 35 power plants located in the Mediterranean Region, from the Mediterranean Basin Operation Centre located in Cortes de Pallas, Valencia province.
We have no doubt whatsoever that the doyenne of the power plants in the Mediterranean Generation unit will remain in operation for many years to come and that it will contribute several more megawatt hours to our electricity grid. It will do so in a satisfactory manner as long as it is assisted by its team of highly professional staff members, who provide the care and dedication that is needed to ensure it is kept in optimal condition and ready to produce its energy, which after all is our own energy, too!
Congratulations, Lucas! Many happy returns and keep on making us proud!
