The permit for the addition of a 15-MW battery to the pumped-storage HPP has been granted to Iberdrola

Spain’s ministry for the ecological transition has granted Iberdrola SA the construction permit to install a 15-MW battery at its existing Valdecanas pumped-storage hydropower plant (HPP) on the Tagus river in the Spanish region of Extremadura.

The purpose of this project is to hybridise a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery storage module with the plant and make other technological improvements. Specifically, the work will involve the installation of a converter-battery system to interact with the grid and enable the machines to run smoothly as they pump water uphill. This will minimise the wear and tear of the hydro generation sets, according to the ministry’s resolution published in the official state gazette.

The Valdecanas facility will have a total power output of 275 MW, including the hybridised battery, Iberdrola said in a separate announcement.

The 15-MW battery will have a storage capacity of 7.5 MWh when fully charged. The combined energy reserve of the battery and hydro units will be 210 GWh once all the new equipment is in its place.

The Spanish utility highlighted the minimal environmental impact of this project, since its scope is exclusively electromechanical. The project does not require the construction of any new civil infrastructure, as it utilises existing infrastructure, the Valdecanas and Torrejon reservoirs, and the transmission grid lines.