ACCIONA Energía has started injecting renewable energy from Logrosan biomass plant (Caceres) into the grid. With a capacity of 50MW, the plant will produce 380GWh per year, preventing the emission of more than 187,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere annually. This figure is comparable to taking 60,000 internal combustion engine vehicles off the road or planting 9,000 trees.

The annual consumption of the plant is estimated at 275,000 metric tonnes of biomass, mainly from forestry waste. Its collection will contribute to active forest management, reducing the biomass load and, with it, the risk and the virulence of wildfires in the area.

ACCIONA Energía was awarded the contract for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Logrosan biomass plant by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge in the third auction for the renewable energy economic regime, which guarantees a sale price for the electricity produced by the plant for 20 years.

POSITIVE IMPACT

Biomass is a renewable, dispatchable energy source that can operate continuously, respond to peak demand, and contribute to grid stability. It is also one of the energy sources that generates the most employment, promoting rural development and boosting local value chains.

The Logrosan plant generated more than 400 jobs during construction and will support around 30 direct jobs in operation and maintenance. In addition, more than 900 contractors and SMEs from the agroforestry and transport sectors will participate in the value chain. Of these, around 200 direct jobs are linked to the recovery of prunings, scrubland and forestry waste –equivalent to having 200 ‘forest firefighters’ working year-round on forest management and fire prevention tasks in the region.

The positive impact extends to the local economy as a whole: one third of the income generated by the activity will return directly to the region through services, staff recruitment and the purchase of supplies. In a rural environment marked by depopulation and a lack of industrial alternatives, biomass becomes a genuine driver of economic revitalisation.

In addition to these direct contributions, ACCIONA Energía has launched a series of initiatives to strengthen the area’s socio-economic development. These include a project to revitalise the Del Campo San Mateo olive oil cooperative, the installation of a photovoltaic self-consumption system in a livestock cooperative, and the provision of financial support to facilitate the purchase of machinery by biomass suppliers.

LEADERSHIP

ACCIONA Energía has more than 25 years of experience in the biomass sector, spanning the entire value chain: from design and construction to operation and maintenance, including supply management.

This track record is underpinned by a well-established network of suppliers –some of which are now in their third generation– as well as by the use of advanced technologies for monitoring, digital control, predictive diagnostics, boiler optimization, and high-efficiency emissions-reduction systems. These capabilities enable the company to maximize energy efficiency, minimize unplanned downtime, and meet the highest environmental standards.

ACCIONA Energía was a first mover in southern Europe with the commissioning of the Sangüesa biomass plant (30 MW) in 2002, followed by the Briviesca (16 MW) and Miajadas (15 MW) facilities.