This would be the first wind farm that Endesa builds in Catalonia and one of the first to receive a favorable environmental impact declaration (DIA) after the approval of Decree-Law 16/2019 on urgent measures for the climate emergency and the promotion of renewable energies in the Generalitat.
The Galatea Wind Farm project provides for the installation of 49 MW of installed power and would generate 140 GWh/year, which would be equivalent to satisfying the electricity consumption that half of the homes in the region have for a year.
Endesa has launched a financial instrument to promote local participation in the construction of the park aimed at public bodies, individuals and legal entities from the municipalities of the Alt Empordà region
Endesa, through its renewable energy division Enel Green Power Spain (EGPE), has received the favorable Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) for the construction of the Galatea park, the first wind farm that Endesa would build in Catalonia.
The wind farm, in which Endesa will invest around 50 million euros, will be located in La Jonquera, outside the area’s protected natural spaces, and will evacuate its energy through an electrical line to the Figueres substation. It will have a power of 49 MW and will generate around 140 gwh/year, the equivalent of the electricity consumption that half of the homes in the Alt Empordà have for a year. Or, put another way, it would prevent the emission of 116,000 annual tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The Galatea wind farm project has been considered since the beginning of its processing in 2020 with preventive environmental measures that will be coordinated with the General Directorate for the Environment of the Generalitat of Catalonia. These environmental measures go through the analysis and monitoring of the local bird life, actions related to the construction and landscape integration of the park, as well as other measures to protect biodiversity.
In order to obtain all the permits and the subsequent construction and commissioning of the renewable park, obtaining the DIA is one of the fundamental requirements. Construction work is expected to begin in early 2024.
The development project for this park will be accompanied by a Plan for the Creation of Shared Value in the Alt Empordà. During construction, operation and maintenance, the aim is to promote different sustainable initiatives that generate local value: new employment opportunities, training for social inclusion, economic activity for the business fabric and preservation of the natural environment with the installation of elements to protect The Biodiversity.
In addition, Endesa has launched a specific proposal for local participation so that individuals, companies and public bodies in the Alt Empordà region can participate in the financing of the construction of the Galatea Wind Farm, as established in Decree Law 24/2021 of acceleration of the deployment of renewable energies distributed and owned by the Generalitat de Catalunya. But the company has wanted to go further and has designed a financial instrument that represents an investment opportunity for the residents of the region.
The energy company currently already has two wind farms in service in Catalonia, in Conca de Barberà. It is also processing a portfolio of renewable production projects of more than 500MW, all of them proposed with the same model of integration and collaboration with the territory, as has been done with hydraulic production in Catalonia.
Endesa is the leading electricity company in Spain and the second in Portugal. It is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. It develops an integrated generation, distribution and commercialization business, and also offers, through Endesa X, value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. In addition, the new line of business has been created. Endesa X Way dedicated entirely to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and, as such, strongly promotes the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power Spain, the digitization of networks through e-distribution, and Corporate Social Responsibility. In this last field we also act from the Endesa Foundation. Our human team totals around 9,260 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.
