Chira Soria hydropower plant. Credit: IDOM

A consortium consisting of GE and Cobra Infrastructuras Hidráulicas has been selected by Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica to deliver six pumped storage turbines for the 200MW Chira Soria project on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain.

The six pumped storage units of 37MW each will help stabilise the grid in Gran Canaria by acting as giant natural batteries, according to GE.

The scope of work includes the design, supply, transport, and commissioning of the turbines, generators, main transformers and electrical balance-of-plant equipment.

The 3.5 GWh hydropower project is expected to come online in 2027.

Once completed, the power station will increase renewable energy production on the island by 37%. It would also raise the average annual coverage of the demand using renewable generation to 51%.

In addition, the power plant will improve the guaranteed supply for the island, by increasing the installed power capacity and strengthening the security of the electricity system – essential for an isolated electricity system like that of the Canary Islands system.

Likewise, the system is expected to help achieve savings in variable generation costs amounting to €122 million ($135 million) per year by reducing dependence on expensive energy imports.

Juan Bola Merino, Non-peninsular Territories’ System Operation director, Red Eléctrica, said: “Chira Soria is key to the Canary Islands’ electricity system.

“This project reinforces security and guarantees the electricity supply by increasing the power capacity in the system, key for an isolated system. It also boosts the integration of renewable energies into the system by using the surplus generation, thanks to its storage capacity”.

Pascal Radue, GE Hydro Solutions President & CEO, said: “Hydropower is the largest source of energy storage that exists right now and represents 95% of all energy stored today. Using water from the sea also demonstrates that with ingenuity, hydropower can reach new heights.”

For the Chira Soria project in Gran Canaria, the water will be pumped from the sea and desalted before reaching the upper reservoir. The installation, therefore, includes a seawater desalination plant with a capacity of 5,200m³ per day and 24km of pressure pipe.