Thanks to the highest rainfall for six years, Hidro Cantrabrica (HC) and Obderola have been able to take coal-fired generation off-line, as hydro power plays a greater role in power production.
HC has taken off two units at Soto, and Obderola has taken off all of its coal units – Pasajes (300MW) Lada (300MW) and Guardo (150MW).
Hydro power usually accounts for 10-15% of generation in these areas, but is now providing a third of total output. This has reduced the electricity price to 2.5-3Pta instead of 4.5-5Pta/kWh and coal is uneconomic at that price.