Iberdrola España making good progress in the redesign of the electricity grid affected by the cold drop

Iberdrola España continues to make progress on the work to redesign the electricity grid in the area affected by the cold drop. The company, through i-DE, the group's distribution company, has completed 20% of the il-lumina plan to build a grid of the future in the area.

During these first months, the more than 150 transformer stations were refurbished and cleaned and more than 165 medium-voltage line supports that were damaged by the accumulation of water and mud and by the current from the flood were built.

In high voltage installations, the company prioritised the reconstruction of the ten or so pylons affected by the tornadoes that passed through the vicinity of the Carlet and Catadau substations to normalise electricity supply in the area.

The company has gathered all the material necessary to be able to undertake the project, both in terms of transformer substations and the low and medium voltage grid, as well as substations.

According to Ignacio García Bosch, head of the il-lumina plan, ‘we’re right on schedule and we’re still on track to reach 90% of full project execution in 2025 and finish it in 2026. We’re holding regular meetings with the different public administrations and are informing them about our activities and investments we are making and our needs to be able to get this project done as quickly as possible’.

As announced at the presentation of the il-lumina project at the beginning of the year, i-DE has introduced improvements to the scheduled outage warnings for customers and is implementing special measures such as setting up generators to prevent blackouts and night-time work to minimise disruption in the municipalities where work is being done.

In addition, the company and the Valencian government, through the Regional Ministry of Innovation and Industry, have renewed their agreement with the Valencian Metalworking Business Federation (FEMEVAL) to continue sending brigades of electrical installers to buildings and private homes affected by the cold drop, who are responsible for reviewing and repairing electrical installations and checking electrical panels, as well as responding to any needs that may arise in the municipalities with the restoration of service to on-street lighting and traffic lights.