L'ENERGÈTICA /
Our projects
We have a mission: to decarbonize all the electricity consumed by the Government of Catalonia. Our goal for 2040 is to supply all public services of the Catalan Administration with net and local energy, such as hospitals and CAPs; educational centers and universities; fire stations and Mossos police stations; public housing and FGC trains.
This requires more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable power. Our vision is to transform all the energy consumed by the public administration into green energy. Therefore, we also promote the electrification of mobility by facilitating electric vehicle charging points and the electrification or decarbonization of thermal consumption.
Rooftop solar energy
Our first challenge is to cover the 1,400 suitable rooftops and terraces of the buildings of the Government of Catalonia with photovoltaic panels. Together, they have a potential of about 200 MW, which will produce one-fifth of all the electricity consumed by the administration.
We have a plan to complete the installation of all the rooftops by 2030. We are doing this by occupying all the possible surface to maximize efficiency. Thus, the panels serve to self-supply the public buildings where they are installed, but we also use the surplus to provide energy to other nearby public services and to people in the surrounding area who are in energy poverty. The first rooftops we are equipping are those of educational and social centers.
Ground-mounted solar energy
We also need ground-mounted solar projects to achieve our goal of supplying all public services. Therefore, at L'Energètica, we promote solar parks from the start, with the collaboration of the local community, and we also invest in projects by other developers, whether public or private, that are at an advanced stage of development. If you are interested in having us participate in a renewable initiative, you can let us know through the project mailbox.
We always follow investment criteria that prioritize not only economic viability but also consider other aspects such as social and environmental impact, as well as consensus and territorial distribution. The prototype consists of small or medium-sized parks, with less than 5 MW of power, driven by the collaboration of local councils, and providing the hosting area with zero-mile energy.
One of the priorities when looking for spaces to install solar parks is degraded land, such as large unused parcels in industrial zones, closed landfills, extensions of former toll stations, and open-air parking lots.
Wind energy
Wind power is one of the most powerful renewable energy sources available to us for producing electricity. L'Energètica is a co-owner of the Pebesa (32%) and Trucafort (9.6%) wind farms, the oldest in the country, with a total capacity of 4 and 30 MW respectively, and their repowering is currently being processed.
Wind projects require a long maturation period. We are committed to developing new wind farms based on dialogue with the local communities and balanced territorial distribution, seeking locations wherever wind conditions allow.
Hydraulic energy
One of the missions entrusted to us at L’Energètica is to reclaim the operation of hydroelectric plants as current concessions expire. Currently, L’Energètica operates a hydroelectric installation with a capacity of 1.964 MW, which supplies infrastructure for Aigües Ter Llobregat. On August 1, 2024, it will take over the management of the Can Trinxet mini plant (in Sant Quirze de Besora, in Osona) once the current concession expires. It also has plans to manage the Colònia Llaudet plant (in Sant Joan de les Abadesses, in Ripollès).
L’Energètica is committed to more respectful ways of harnessing the power of water to produce electricity. Therefore, we are conducting studies to implement reversible hydraulic power plants that, unlike run-of-river plants, do not need to release water to operate. Additionally, we are evaluating the installation of hydraulic screw turbines, which do not require diverting river flows to produce electricity.
Supply
Since September 2023, L'Energètica has had a license as an electricity retailer. Its supply activity focuses on providing energy to the public services of the Government of Catalonia. The first organization supplied was the Agència de Residus de Catalunya. In the first quarter of 2024, a thousand supply points were reached. By 2025, it is expected to reach 3,000 supply points, completing the core of the Generalitat.
Thanks to the self-consumption systems we install on the rooftops of public buildings, the electricity bill savings can reach between 30% and 50% (depending on the roof and consumption).
Action against energy poverty
One of the reasons for the existence of L'Energètica is that energy is managed by the public authorities in order to put it at the service of society as a whole and, in particular, the most disadvantaged. That is why one of our fundamental pillars of our action is to allocate part of the energy we produce on the roofs of public buildings to supply people in situations of energy poverty. With this objective, we work with a protocol with the Office for Tackling Energy Poverty, of the Generalitat de Catalunya, to channel the energy surpluses dedicated to this purpose through social services.
Our social action also involves allying ourselves with those who fight energy poverty. That is why we have signed a collaboration agreement with the Taula d'entities del Tercer Sector Social de Catalunya to take a common stand in this cause and to promote the energy transition in the associative fabric of the country.
Distribution
One of L'Energètica's future projects is to manage electricity distribution networks. As mandated by the Parliament of Catalonia, we have been tasked with assuming electrical distribution functions to support municipal distribution networks and to facilitate the access of renewable projects to the grid. With this, we aim to improve the efficiency and quality of the electricity supply service and contribute to the energy transition and energy sovereignty by promoting distributed electricity from local renewable energy sources. Currently, the process of amending L'Energètica's corporate bylaws to make this possible is underway.
