Iberdrola, S.A. (Iberdrola) has invested over EUR125 million for the construction of 25 new substations in Spain in 2008. Seven of these installations are in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, five in Murcia, four in Extremadura, three in Valencia, three in Castilla and one in each of the regions of La Rioja, Navarra and the Basque country. Iberdrola has achieved a system average interruption duration index (SAIDI) of 1.62 hours in 2008, compared with the 1.89 hours in 2007.

The construction of these new installations, together with the expansion of some existing facilities, enabled Iberdrola to add around 2,800 megavolt amperes to the system last year, thereby increasing its installed capacity by 4.5%.

The company achieves its best ever quality of supply.

The company has added around 2,800 megavolt amperes to the system, thereby increasing its installed capacity by 4.5%.

Seven of the 25 installations are in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, five in Murcia, four in Extremadura, three in Valencia, three in Castilla and one in each of the regions of La Rioja, Navarra and the Basque country.

In Castilla-Mancha, Iberdrola has invested EUR18.8 million in the construction of nine substations with a combined capacity of 330 MVA. These facilities include the Torrijos (145 MVA) and Calzado de Oropesa (45 MVA) substations, both in the province of Toledo.

In Murcia the company has added 615 MVA at a cost of EUR30.9 million. Here the largest facilities brought on stream are the Totana (450 MVA) and Jumilla (80 MVA) substations.

The new installations in Extremadura, which add 112 MVA, entailed investment of EUR8.7 million and include the La Coronada (25 MVA) and Casas Don Pedro (25 MVA) substations, both situated in Badajoz province.

In Valencia the company has invested EUR16.8 million in facilities with a capacity of 200 MVA, including the El Cantalar substation (100 MVA) in Alicante.

In Castilla y Leon the company has built substations which add 80 MVA at a cost of EUR9.5 million, including the Polígono Industrial de Salas (45 MVA) facility in Burgos.

Meanwhile, eight facilities in Madrid region have been significantly expanded, increasing their capacity by 392 MVA. Investment in this infrastructure totalled EUR27.1 million.

Finally, a total of 85 MVA were added in Navarra, La Rioja and the Basque country with one new substation built in each of these regions.

Thanks to the addition of these new substations, the expansion of existing facilities and other investment in power lines and transformer stations, Iberdrola achieved the best quality of supply in its history in 2008. The company achieved a SAIDI of 1.62 hours last year compared with a figure of 1.89 in 2007, an improvement of 14%.

Key facilities for the system

The purpose of substations is to transform energy from high to medium voltage before it reaches the consumer. This energy is then distributed directly to the transformer stations that supply homes.

They play a key role in the electricity distribution system and continued investment is required to create a major substation network to meet rising demand and enhance supply quality.