The Basque Government and Iberdrola España will improve the power lines in Urdaibai to protect birdlife

• An agreement will be signed with i-DE, Iberdrola España's distributor, for four years as part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, financed by Next Generation EU. A commission will be set up to monitor the work.
• Arantxa Tapia, Regional Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, together with Javier Arriola, Director of the Northern Region of i-DE.

The Regional Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, Arantxa Tapia, and the Director of the Northern Region of i-DEExternal link, opens in new window. , Iberdrola España's distribution company, Javier Arriola, will sign a collaboration agreement to promote the electrification, modernisation and reduction of the environmental impact of the Urdaibai electricity grid and its area of influence, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan - financed by the European Union - Next Generation EU. 

In March this year, the Basque Government approved the 5th Environmental Framework Programme for the Basque Country 2030, which sets out the environmental policy of the Basque Autonomous Community. Within this framework, the Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment is responsible for environmental matters, the fight against climate change, the circular economy and the conservation of natural heritage. On the other hand, I-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes, S.A.U. is an electricity distribution company with a significant presence in the Basque Country. 

Bearing in mind that electricity infrastructures are essential assets for the energy transition towards the decarbonisation of the economy, it has become necessary to reinforce and modernise the electricity grid in the area surrounding the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve in order to improve its capacity and reliability, responding to the needs that the economic development of the area is demanding.

Furthermore, the actions contemplated in the agreement are intended to guarantee the minimum impact of the electricity grids in environmentally sensitive areas, as is the case of Urdaibai, and to reduce the points of potential risk to birdlife as far as possible. 

To this end, the following actions are planned: 

1. Increasing the capacity and reliability of the electricity grid and the evacuation capacity of the generation in the area, boosting the connection to the 132 kV grid and installing an innovative electronic power solution, which has been developed in collaboration with Basque industry.
2. Burying several overhead power lines and transformers to eliminate 250 electrical pylons and 25 km of overhead lines.
3. Adapt around 120 high-voltage electrical pylons with solutions for the protection of birdlife. 

Next Generation EU financial resources

The 352,810 euros granted by the Basque Government is financed by resources from the European Recovery Instrument ("Next Generation EUExternal link, opens in new window. "), through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism established by Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021, which establishes the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism.

For its part, i-DE, Iberdrola España's distribution company, will carry out the rest of the actions included in the agreement, using its own resources as part of its commitment to sustainable electrification. 

The approved agreement is valid for four years and a commission will be set up to monitor compliance with it, headed by the Director of Natural Heritage and Climate Change of the Basque Government and the person responsible for I-DE in the Bizkaia-Araba area.