The new photovoltaic installation, called Balbona, with a capacity of around 145 MW and for whose construction it is expected to hire around 250 people from the area, will be the company’s largest in the region. In order to encourage the hiring of local labour, the company has launched two training courses in solar panel assembly and Operation and Maintenance of these installations. These courses are aimed at around 50 people from the area around the new plant, prioritising the unemployed, women and residents of Jumilla.
Endesa, through its renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green Power Spain, has begun construction work on what will be its largest solar plant in the Region of Murcia. This is the Balbona solar plant, located in the municipality of Jumilla in the “La Capellanía” area.
More than 250 people will be directly employed in the construction of this solar plant, so the company, in coordination with the Jumilla City Council, has begun the process to launch training courses in solar panel assembly and Operation and Maintenance of renewable installations, in order to encourage the hiring of local labour.
These courses, which will be attended by around 50 people, will prioritise the participation of unemployed people, women and residents of Jumilla; in total there will be around 140 hours of classes, with theoretical and practical classes given by professionals in the sector in premises provided by the Jumilla City Council. At the end of the courses, participants will have an official certificate that will open the doors to a booming job market.
The training is part of the socioeconomic development axis of Endesa’s Shared Value Creation Plan that accompanies the construction of the Balbona plant. This continues the initiatives started in November 2023, with the ASAJA and Endesa mobile rural digitalization office, which, in collaboration with the Jumilla City Council, was stationed in the municipality, providing advice on various topics related to the primary sector. This initiative was complemented by two training courses in January 2024, one on olive grove pruning and another on drone piloting, with 39 students in total.
Likewise, in order to integrate people with disabilities from the environment, a fundamental element in rural environments where renewable plants are developed, Endesa, through its subsidiary Enel Green Power Spain, has collaborated with the association of people with disabilities ASPAJUNIDE to teach a course on composting and maintenance of plant barriers, COMPOST-IN, benefiting 13 students who already have this certificate that will allow them to work in the clearing and maintenance of plant areas, such as solar plants.
The new solar plant, with a power of 143.98 MW, joins the one that Endesa has already been operating since 2019 in Totana with a power of 49 MW, which means that renewable power in the Region of Murcia has tripled. For the construction of the new facility, 82 million euros will be invested and innovative technology will be used, such as the “e-house” solution to house the electrical substations, which will reduce the environmental impact. This system is a prefabricated installation used to house electronic equipment, reducing the use of construction materials by 60%. In addition, these substations will use prefabricated foundations that reduce the execution time, also improving the carbon footprint compared to traditional systems.
Some of the elements used during the construction of the plant, such as packaging or defibrillators present in the installation, will be donated to the local community, a measure that is part of Endesa’s Sustainability Plan.
Furthermore, in order to involve the municipality of Jumilla in this Plan that Endesa designs for each of its renewable plants, contact has been maintained with various local agents from very early stages, to inform them first-hand about the project and to learn about their concerns and needs. This will promote the installation of collective photovoltaic self-consumption on the roofs of municipal buildings and on the roof of the residence for elderly people with disabilities “Más Vida”, of the ASPAJUNIDE association. In total, 125 kWp will be installed, which will generate energy consumption savings of more than 187 MWh/year, offsetting 2,172.19 tons of CO2, during the useful life of the Balbona solar plant.
Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second in Portugal. In addition, it is the second gas operator in the Spanish market. It develops an integrated electricity generation, distribution and marketing business. It also offers electric mobility services, where it is one of the main operators of charging points in Spain, and other value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and public administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and, as such, decisively promotes the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power Spain, the digitalization of networks through e-distribution and corporate social responsibility. In this last area, we also act through the Endesa Foundation. Our human team totals around 9,000 employees.