We reaffirm our rural commitment and our commitment to sustainability in Aldeadávila

• The fifth edition of Secretos del Duero, which brought together 500 participants over the weekend in the town of Salamanca, has received special support from the company

  The most beautiful corners of the Douro River once again welcome the lovers of mountain races, five races that have been traced on the ancient paths that guided shepherds and lumberjacks through these spectacular vertical rocky areas.

  This sporting event, which aims to discover all the 'secrets' of this rural environment, is a demonstration of the commitment to sustainable tourism, taking advantage of natural resources as a tourist attraction.

  Iberdrola understands clearly that the rural environment is fundamental for the company, part of a shared history and the best ally for a greener world

The fifth edition of Secretos del Duero, which brought together 500 participants over the weekend in the Salamanca town of Aldeadávila de la Ribera, with the aim of promoting the great ultra-distance crossings in the high mountains and the charming villages that host them, had the special support of Iberdrola this year.

The most beautiful corners of the Douro River once again welcome the lovers of mountain races, five races that have been traced on the ancient paths that guided shepherds and woodcutters through these spectacular rocky areas that fall vertically, from the Castilian plateau to the bottom of the river. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the mountains start downwards, running along its numerous cliffs.

With this sporting event, which aims to discover all the 'secrets' that this rural environment holds, the commitment to sustainable tourism is staged, taking advantage of natural resources as a tourist attraction.

Iberdrola understands clearly that the rural environment is fundamental for the company, part of a shared history and the best ally for a greener world. Its investments to promote renewable projects create jobs, contribute to the development of other companies and businesses in the area, and encourage repopulation.

The company also wanted to highlight that it is possible to fight against depopulationExternal link, opens in new window.  and lay the foundations for a sustainable future in the rural world. "Villages have found in renewables one of the solutions to boost growth and employment. The fact is that, increasingly, we need to resort to sustainable energy sources and here the villages are an indispensable ally on the road to a better future", stressed Iberdrola's delegate in Castilla y León, Miguel Calvo.

For his part, the technical director of Secretos del Duero, David Guarde, pointed out that "in each edition we work to place Aldeadávila de la Ribera as a reference in mountain races throughout Spain. To this end, the nearly 150 volunteers who form part of the Secretos del Duero family put our efforts and the best of each one of us, so that Secretos del Duero is a unique experience".

Green energy to power the future of the villages

Iberdrola's commitment to Salamanca is part of the company's deep ties with this land, where it was founded more than 115 years ago and from where it has been promoting the energy transition towards renewable and competitive energies that promote the development of a sustainable and environmentally and socio-economically responsible society.

Looking to the future, Iberdrola will continue to invest heavily in this region in order to continue offering its almost 245,000 customers in Salamanca an increasingly better quality of service. 

The company has 10 facilities in the province of Salamanca with an installed capacity of 2,726 MW, a clean and flexible energy source that creates jobs and is committed to training professionals in a booming sector that offers jobs to young people.

Aldeadávila, a film set

Iberdrola's hydroelectric facility,External link, opens in new window.  which witnessed these spectacular mountain trials this weekend, continues to amaze with its grandeur and the place where it was built, in a rugged area of granite rocks whose beauty attracts hundreds of visitors every year and which has also served as the main setting for such well-known film productions as the latest Terminator saga, Doctor Zhivago, winner of five Oscars and as many Golden Globes, and Antonio Mercero's Spanish film La Cabina.       

In 2016, he became the protagonist of the campaign that the Japanese company Fujitsu launched under the slogan The world is your workplace /El mundo es tu oficina. It focused its minute-long campaign on highlighting the freedom of working with its new laptop model, showing how four employees jumped from their office to the most striking natural landscapes in Spain, which they could access through the machine. And last year, Salamanca designer Fely Campo took her haute couture fashion to this enclave, using the dam as the backdrop for her debut at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week -MBFW.

The Aldeadávila plant is one of the largest generators of electricity in Spain, as its output accounts for more than 8% of the country's average hydroelectric generation, enough to supply 250,000 homes. It also saves the annual emission of 1.3 million tonnes of CO2. The main structure of this hydroelectric plant is underground: it has 12 kilometres of tunnels 12 metres wide by 8 metres high.