The Mayor of Ciudad Rodrigo, Marcos Iglesias, and Red Eléctrica’s Regional Delegate in Castilla y León, Roberto Arranz, today inaugurated the completion of the works for the restoration of a part of the city’s historical fortified walls in the promenade section of the Paseo de Ronda; a landmark of the cultural and tourist heritage of this city.

The conservation works, which were carried out in various phases, facilitate accessibility and improve the general state of preservation of this medieval wall. The last two conservation projects in which Red Eléctrica collaborated were targeted at preserving the Castillo-Hospital de la Pasión and the Brecha Grande-Puerta del Conde sections of the wall.

The Mayor of Ciudad Rodrigo, Marcos Iglesias, indicated that "from the outset, the collaboration between the two entities has been cordial and based on mutual understanding. I would like to thank Red Eléctrica, on behalf of the City Council, for its commitment to our city and to one of its most representative historical and emblematic monuments such as the city ‘s fortified walls; a collaboration that will result in making our city more attractive both for locals and visitors." The Mayor also highlighted "the important contribution to our region by way of investments that help improve its overall infrastructure".

Red Eléctrica's collaboration in the restoration project of the city’s fortified walls in the promenade section of the Paseo de Ronda with a contribution of 120,895 euros, responds to the Company's commitment to sustainability and the creation of shared value in the territories where its facilities are present, as in the case of Ciudad Rodrigo, where the Company has recently built new electricity infrastructure. 

"For Red Eléctrica it is extremely important to accompany its new projects with collaborative initiatives in the territory, such as the action that has been carried out for the restoration of the city wall", said Roberto Arranz, Red Eléctrica’s Regional Delegate. "By adding investment in the improvement of the territory to the investment in the infrastructure itself, we understand that this is the best way to increase the value of our activity".

Increased security of supply and a lever that will facilitate the development of new infrastructure

Red Eléctrica de España has recently completed the construction of the new electricity substation in Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, which will increase the security and reliability of the electricity supply in the southwest of the province, enable the integration of new renewable energy projects in the municipality of the city and the development of new infrastructure, such as the Madrid-Oporto high-speed train line. 

In addition to this 400 kilovolt (kV) substation, which is equipped with seven substation switchyard bays - two feeder bays for ADIF and another five incoming/outgoing bays for power transmission - the project includes a 4.9 km long 400 kV overhead electricity line to connect the substation with the Almaraz-Hinojosa line.
With an investment of €13 million, of note is that this new infrastructure was built using state-of-the-art and reliable technology, which demonstrates Red Eléctrica de España's firm commitment to strengthening and improving the electricity transmission grid in Castilla y León. 

The execution and completion of these facilities has been possible thanks to the collaboration and coordination of all the relevant public administrations involved, especially with the City Council of Ciudad Rodrigo.

Protection of Spain’s natural and cultural capital

When defining the route of the electricity line, the area of action, which is located within protected areas of the Natura 2000 Network, was highly taken into account. As a result, a detailed study of the surrounding areas was conducted to determine the distance between the line and the most sensitive areas for birdlife and to be able to adopt the necessary measures for their protection.

Thus, the new infrastructure has been marked with bird flight diverter-saving devices throughout its entirety using blade-type bird-saving devices (vertical and with hanging strips of neoprene) that generate a visual effect so that birds can avoid collision while in flight. In addition, on tower 166 on the Almaraz-Hinojosa line, a nesting box has been installed for the northern goshawk.

The layout and route of the new line and the location of the substation were also conditioned by the nearby presence of two catalogued archaeological sites, El Campanario and Las Navas. For this reason, mechanical borehole drilling was performed in the area, the results of which were negative, confirming there was no direct impact. In addition, control and monitoring of the construction works was carried out for both facilities.

Castilla y León continues to be a leader in renewable energy at a national level

In 2021, up to August, Castilla y León generated a total of 18,830 GWh, 11% of Spain's total electricity production, of which 89.7% was produced with renewable technologies, 21.8% more than in the same period in 2020. In addition, 90.3% of the electricity produced in this region of Spain was obtained using technologies which produce zero CO2 equivalent emissions.