Red Eléctrica de España and the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - CSIC) have signed an agreement to conduct a study on the use of seeds and fragments of Posidonia oceanica to recover areas of the seabed with this plant, whose colonies form 'meadows' of high ecological value to the marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean.

The study, performed by CSIC through the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, with a budget of €206,000 and which has a duration of three years, forms part of an R&D+i project of Red Eléctrica aimed at reducing the impact of the Company’s facilities on the natural environment .

The objective of the study is to define and develop a technique to reduce the impact caused by the laying of submarine electricity cables in Posidonia oceanica meadows, through the reintroduction of this species using seeds germinated in the laboratory and fragments of this species obtained as a result of natural fragmentation.

The application of this technique, once proven and validated, will allow Red Eléctrica to count on a tool of great interest for those Red Eléctrica projects that require the laying of submarine cables, as it will allow to take immediate action on any effects that may have been caused on the Posidonia seagrass meadows, and that will have a lesser impact than those techniques used today and allow to recover affected areas in shorter period of time. It may also be applied in the recovery of Cymodocea nodosa meadows, another flowering plant with similar characteristics and of great biological interest.

The collaboration agreement with CSIC and the aforementioned R&D+i project are part of the strategic commitment of REE towards excellence in their management systems, one of whose axes is the sustainable development and protection of biodiversity and the environment. In this regard, the Company has, in recent years, carried out more than 30 projects regarding biodiversity conservation, promoting a framework for dialogue with its stakeholders, strengthening the Company’s recognition on behalf of institutions and selective national and international sustainability indexes and contributing to the development of research, education and awareness projects regarding the conservation of biological diversity.

Red Eléctrica is the company responsible for the transmission of high voltage electricity and the operation of the Spanish electricity system, ensuring at all times the continuity and security of the electricity supply. It currently manages more than 41,000 kilometres of high voltage electricity lines, and is responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the grid, with a workforce of more than 1,600 employees.