On Tuesday, June 10, the Hotel Hospes Palacio del Bailío in Córdoba hosted a forum titled “Guadiato as a Strategic Axis: Water, Energy and Territorial Development.” The event highlighted the evident lack of energy capacity in the northern area of the province and the need to promote water management policies, investment opportunities in energy, and the positioning of the territory as a driver of economic development.

This business breakfast was organized by Grupo Joly and sponsored by Magtel. Attending on behalf of our company were Vice President Juan Luis López Magdaleno and the Director of Hydraulics and Environment, Arturo Buenaventura. Also joining the panel were Antonio Bejarano, Mayor of Espiel; Paqui Vicente, Manager of the Guadiato Valley Rural Development Group; and Agustín López, Delegate for Economy of the Andalusian Government in Córdoba. The discussion was moderated by Raquel Montenegro, Director of El Día de Córdoba.

All participants agreed on Guadiato’s potential to develop projects not only in the industrial sphere, but also in agriculture and environmental initiatives.

Among the region’s flagship projects is the Ballesta reversible hydropower plant being developed by our company. Located in the municipality of Espiel, it makes use of a disused mining pit and offers an energy storage capacity of 2,554 MWh.

Magtel’s Vice President, Juan Luis López Magdaleno, stressed the importance of this reversible hydropower plant, which allows surplus energy that would otherwise be lost to be stored and used when needed. The project also includes a training program and a grants scheme for local businesses.

Meanwhile, Arturo Buenaventura, Director of Hydraulics and Environment, provided further details about the initiative. Its construction would create up to 500 jobs in the region with an investment of 403 million euros.

This facility is part of a large-scale energy storage project that Magtel is also developing in Asturias. Known as “Blue Storage,” it foresees a reversible hydropower capacity of around 5 GW distributed across some twenty plants—nearly a quarter of the storage capacity set as a target in Spain’s National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan.

All participants concluded by emphasizing the urgent need for the northern area of Córdoba province to have sufficient energy capacity to drive development and ensure the growth of the Guadiato Valley.