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Sener tasked with engineering the 200 MW Salto de Chira hydroelectric plant in Gran Canaria

12/02/2024

The pumped-storage facility in Salto de Chira will have a power equivalent to 36% of peak demand in Gran Canaria, and will act as a large natural battery, providing a storage capacity of 3.5 GWh, enough to power the island for almost 7 hours.

The consortium of Dragados, Cobra and Ossa has awarded to the Sener engineering and technology group the development of the construction engineering of the pumped-storage facility in Salto de Chira, on the island of Gran Canaria, designed and financed by Red Eléctrica.

This 200 MW hydroelectric storage facility (equivalent to 36% of the island’s peak demand) will connect the existing reservoirs of Chira and Soria, in the south of the island. It will act as a large natural battery, providing a storage capacity of 3.5 GWh, enough to power the whole of Gran Canaria for almost 7 hours.

The pumped storage facility in Salto de Chira will be a tool at the service of the grid operator. It will be used to store surplus energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. This facility will serve to reinforce the electricity supply on the island and promote the integration of renewables into the island’s electric grid.

For this project, Sener is doing the construction design work of the different elements that make up the pumped storage facility: the access roads to the different areas of the project, the underground access tunnels, the intakes at the Chira and Soria reservoirs, the hydraulic pipes, the caverns for the generators and transformers, the buildings of the different platforms, the hydromechanical and electromechanical equipment and installations, the control system, as well as the integration of the turbine generators and their associated auxiliary systems.

The facility features an innovative design conceived by Red Eléctrica to maximise the island’s energy independence and reduce fossil fuel imports.

“Sener is strongly committed to the energy transition towards a more sustainable model based on technology and innovation”, says José Manuel Clamagirand, Water and Environment Director at Sener. “Our contribution to this project is an example of our experience in the field of renewable power integration and the optimisation of transport networks using various storage technologies. We are pleased to contribute to the development of this innovative design by Red Eléctrica for the Salto de Chira facility, which incorporates the latest technological advances and cutting-edge engineering to maximise its flexibility and performance”.

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