He Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO)through the Institute for the Just Transition (ITJ)progress in the holding fair transition competitions in the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Asturias and Galiciato grant access rights to the electricity grid to projects of renewable energy carried out in areas related to the closure of coal-fired power stations. These competitions give priority projects that minimize environmental impact and maximize local socio-economic benefits to mitigate the effects of factory closures.
First, the ITJ has begun the phase of public information on the regulatory foundations of the competition for the Lancha 220 kV fair transition node, available here. The competition will enable the development of new sustainable energy projects in the 11 municipalities of the Just Transition Agreement area of Puente Nuevo-Valle del Guadiato (Córdoba), affected by the closure of the Puente Nuevo thermal power plant in Espiel. The ITJ already launched the preliminary public consultation for holding the competition in June 2023.
The match will benefit the eleven municipalities of the Puente Nuevo-Valle del Guadiato Just Transition Agreement: Belmez, Los Blázquez, Espiel, Fuente Obejuna, La Granjuela, Obejo, Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Valsequillo, Villaharta, Villanueva del Rey and Villaviciosa de Córdoba.
Public consultations ahead of the just transition
The ITJ is also starting the preliminary public consultation to finalize the tenders for the fair transition nodes of Narcea 400 kV and La Pereda 220 kV, In Asturias. The Narcea 400 kV competition will take place in the Just Transition Agreement area of the South West, linked to the closure of the Narcea thermal power plant in Tineo. On the other hand, the La Pereda 220 kV tender, related to the transformation process of the Mieres plant of the same name, will affect the Caudal area of the Caudal Valley and the Aboño Just Transition Agreement. The public consultation for Narcea 400 kV can be found here and that for La Pereda 220 kV here.
The Narcea Contest benefits six municipalities: Allande, Cangas del Narcea, Degaña, Ibias, Salas and Tineo. The La Pereda competition, in turn, is open to projects in six other municipalities: Aller, Lena, Mieres, Morcín, Ribera de Arriba and Riosa.
In addition, the ITJ is launching the preliminary public consultation to process the tender for the interchange just a transition by Meirama 220 kV, which can be found here. The competition benefits the five municipalities included in the Meirama Just Transition Agreement: Carral, Cerceda, A Laracha, Ordes and Tordoia.
Also in Galicia, the government will declare the future 400 kV substation Maciñeira as a junction just a transition. The evacuation access capacity to the power grid of the substation, the construction of which is planned in the specific amendments to the Planning with horizon 2026 now under consideration, A competition will be held for the Just Transition Agreement area of As Pontesformed by 14 municipalities: As Pontes, As Somozas, A Capela, Cabanas, Cerdido, Ferrol, Mañón, Moeche, Monfero, Muras, Ortigueira, San Sadurniño, Vilalba and Xermade.
Benefits for Just Transition Zones
The criteria for awarding these tenders includes, in addition to prioritizing projects that minimize the impact on the environment, the socio-economic benefits to the area will be appreciated: the promotion of employment, especially for surplus factory workers and women, training for residents of the area, the development of energy communities and self-consumptioninvestments in the provincial value chain, the participation of local investors and support for industrial, agricultural or social projects.
The matches of just a transition They complement other support instruments already deployed for the areassuch as calls for support for business projects that generate employment, small investment projects and municipal and infrastructure projects.
These competitions in Andalusia, Asturias and Galicia are part of it a second wave of competitions at just transition nodesfollowing the previous experiences with the Mudéjar 400 kV junction in Andorra (Teruel), where the installation of renewable energy It was accompanied by several projects in the industrial, agri-food and service sectors, with job creation exceeding that affected by the closure of the coal-fired power station.