Iberdrola has secured a favourable Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the construction of the 440MW Alcántara II reversible pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Spain.

The EIS for the hydropower facility was issued by the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

Located in Alcántara, southwest Spain, the Alcántara II project is expected to enable reversible energy storage of 16 million kWh. This is equal to the average daily consumption of over four million people.

The new Spanish hydropower facility is also anticipated to deliver a firmness to the electricity system of up to 37 hours with the machines at full load.

Besides, the Alcántara II project will produce more than 1,000 additional GWh annually by utilising the same water resources as before. It is also estimated to eliminate the emission of approximately 355,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

The Alcántara II hydropower plant is expected to contribute towards the decarbonisation of the electricity system. This will be made possible by integrating non-manageable renewable energies, solar, and wind.

The Spanish hydropower facility will leverage the reservoirs built by the existing dams. All the hydraulic circuits for the project are designed underground, including the power plant, which is planned in a shaft.

The Alcántara II project will connect the lower reservoir of Cedillo and the upper reservoir of Alcántara via a double underground hydraulic circuit 0.9km long. It will also benefit from up to 108m difference in level between the reservoirs by using two reversible turbines with a capacity of 220MW.

Furthermore, the plant will make use of the existing hydroelectric system on the Tagus River, without generating any impact on the remaining users of the river.

In July 2024, the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) awarded €44.9m for the hydropower project.

In a separate announcement, Iberdrola said that shareholders of its US-based subsidiary Avangrid have approved the former’s previously announced $2.55bn buyout offer for the remaining 18.4% stake it previously did not own in Avangrid.

During the annual general meeting, over 99% of the votes cast were in favour of the acquisition. The acquisition received approval from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) earlier this month.