Magtel has taken part in the 14th Spanish Dams Conference, held from 11 to 14 May in Granada, with a presentation by Andrés Zapico Martín, Director of Hydraulic Projects. The company shared its experience in the development of hydraulic infrastructure and energy storage solutions through pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants.

Organised by the Spanish National Committee on Large Dams (SPANCOLD), with the Guadalquivir River Basin Authority and Granada City Council as host institutions, and with the collaboration of the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE), the Spanish Dams Conference is a leading forum for analysing dam safety, reservoir management, and the contribution of these infrastructures to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The fourteenth edition brought together representatives from public authorities, companies, and professionals from the hydraulic and energy sectors in Granada.

In this context, Arturo Buenaventura Pouyfaucon, Director of Magtel’s Hydraulics and Environment Division, and Andrés Zapico Martín, the company’s Director of Hydraulic Projects, presented the La Barca Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant, located in Tineo (Asturias). The project has an installed capacity of 320 MW, a storage capacity of 4,092 MWh, and 12.79 hours of operation, and is designed as a strategic infrastructure for large-scale energy storage.

During the presentation, delivered as part of the sessions dedicated to hydraulic energy storage within the conference’s technical programme, Magtel shared the panel with representatives from water authorities, specialised engineering firms, and energy sector companies involved in the development, analysis, and operation of storage infrastructures. The session focused on the role of these solutions in the energy transition and the integration of renewable energy sources.

During the presentation, the strategic role of pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants was addressed as a key solution for large-scale energy storage, highlighting their contribution to the integration of renewable energy sources and their capacity to provide stability and reliability to the electricity system.

The presentation highlighted Magtel’s experience in the design, development and management of complex hydraulic infrastructure, adopting an integrated approach that combines technical, environmental and operational criteria, which is particularly relevant in the current context of the energy transition.

Blue Storage: energy storage for a decarbonised electricity system

The La Barca Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant forms part of the Blue Storage initiative, through which Magtel promotes the development of energy storage solutions based on pumped-storage technology. This initiative aims to facilitate the large-scale deployment of renewable energy, optimise the use of existing water resources, and effectively contribute to the decarbonisation of the electricity system.

Magtel’s participation in the 14th Spanish Dams Conference reinforces its commitment to advancing strategic infrastructure for the sustainable management of water and energy, as well as to fostering technical collaboration among the various stakeholders in the sector.