The Compostilla II coal-fired power plant is a coal-fired thermal power station in Cubillos del Sil-Leon, north-east Spain.
Operations commenced at the plant in 1961 and Compostilla II has consisted of five units, two of which have already been retired. Endesa, the owner and operator of the plant, will end the remaining operations by July 1, 2020.
Location
The undated satellite photo below shows the Compostilla II power station in Cubillos del Sil-Leon, north-east Spain.
Background
Compostilla II coal power station is owned and operated by Endesa. Operating since 1961, the station has had five units though two have already been retired. Compostilla II has been assessed and rated by the Europe Beyond Coal campaign to be among the top 50 most impactful coal plants in Europe in terms of public health effects.[1]
Announcement of plant retiral
In November 2018, Endesa announced its plan to close its Compostilla II and Teruel (in Andorra) coal plants,[2] a decision welcomed by environment NGOs.[3] Endesa's logic for this decision was that it would be impossible for it to recover the investments needed to adapt these plants to the emission limits set out in the EU's BREF regulation document for large combustion plants, which sets even stricter limits than the Industrial Emissions Directive. The intention to close the plants required approval by the Government of Spain after a prior assessment by Red Eléctrica Española-REE, which was required to examine whether the closures affects security of supply.
This request to close Compostilla II was approved by the Spanish government and became binding in February 2020. The Compostilla II coal-fired power plant is now expected to close by July 1, 2020. This looks set to be the beginning of a wave of coal plant closures across Spain, as numerous plants in Spain's coal fleet must either expensively upgrade to meet tougher EU emissions limits or shut down entirely when their derogations expire on 30 June 2020.
Project details
- Sponsor: Endesa
- Parent company: Endesa
- Developer:
- Location: Cubillos del Sil-Leon, Castile and Leon, Spain
- Coordinates: 42.6090274, -6.5686424 (exact)
- Status: Operating
- Capacity: 1200 MW
- Type: Sub-critical
- Start date: 1961
- Coal Type: Hard coal
- Coal Source:
- Source of financing:
Articles and Resources
Sources
- ↑ "Coal Exit Tracker", Europe Beyond Coal website, accessed February 2020.
- ↑ "Endesa to close two Spanish coal plants in 2020", Reuters, Nov 16, 2018
- ↑ "IIDMA and Re:Common welcome Endesa’s decision to close two coal-fired power plants as a positive step towards the end of coal in 2025" International Institute for Law and the Environment, Dec 20, 2018.
