The law regulating the transport, distribution and supply activities of electricity came into force in 2000, on the eve of the introduction of the euro. In addition to identifying “necessary measures to guarantee this essential service to all end consumers”, it also identifies which facilities need more power and the requirements that must be met to access it. At that time, more than two decades ago, there was no production of electric cars or robots in the factories, but it did not change, despite the radical changes in production models. The Galician auto group Ceaga has already appreciated: “The permissiveness of current legislation allows for levels of quality and cuts. seriously undermine competitiveness Galician automobile industry. The entire industry, especially the Stellantis plant, has experienced an average of 40 power outages per year over the past five years as it is connected to a 132 kilovolt (kV) network that has proven to be inadequate. For thisand already for the period 2015-2020 the Government has programmed the construction of a substation. balaidos, to connect the factories to a 220 kV grid, this investment has never been made and the current Manager is not in the mood to initiate it, as Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera has just decided. By letter and bluntly correcting his industry colleague Reyes Maroto.
The letter that FARO had access to is addressed to Francisco Conde, First Vice President and Minister of Economy and Industry. “The justification was to demand a connection at 220 kV in relation to a poor quality supply at 132 kV due to the large number of voltage drops, lacks the necessary evidence to show that quality at the current point the connection is particularly weak” reveals. That’s why Ribera not only queries information showing voltage drops provided by Stellantis and other supplier factories in the Vigo region, it also does the same with up to two external reports. First, from UVigo Electrical Engineering Department Electrotechnical and Electrical Networks Group; the second is from TÜV SÜD Atisae, a leading company in certification and auditing services. Both come to the same conclusion: the quality of the supply is inadequate. The UVigo technicians, literally, noticed the following: “The residual voltage of a voltage drop recorded at the 220 kv level is significantly higher than the same drop recorded on the 132 kv grid, making it less severe or even no longer considered hollow. and therefore imperceptible to the production process”.
Nothing served to persuade either Ribera or the government before Pedro Sánchez, who left the Balaídos substation construction project unexecuted. A power of 220 kV. “We share the importance of Stellantis Vigo, Spain’s largest automobile factory and one of the most competitive factories. It has some needs, an electricity supply that needs to be strengthened”, Reyes Maroto stated in the Senate. He asserted this on 5 October; Ribera’ ‘s letter to Conde is from the previous day, Tuesday 4. Therefore, they share the need for the Vigo car to reach very high voltage in Industry, but not in the Energy Transition. And the final decision rests with the latter, unless there is a mandatory change of course from Moncloa: “The need to improve the transport network through a new substation has not been identified so far,” adds the letter to number two. Xunta. Your representative in Vigo was Marta Fernández-Tapias, who evaluated the content of this letter by the Ministry of Industry delegation. While applauding this behavior that marginalized it again, Vigo, who is still waiting for help from Perte, is an example of discrimination against the automotive industry. We are still facing each other,” he said.
And now?
The only concession Teresa Ribera has made is in the medium term, although Stellantis Vigo management has warned that these continued cuts are putting her industrial plans at risk. In other words, it will not allow a change in the current planning of Red Eléctrica Española (REE). “However,” he continues, “in January 2023, a new network planning process will begin, which overlaps with what is available for the period 2024-2029, where you will have the opportunity to re-evaluate these projects that you have mentioned to me, allowing us to achieve our common goals in terms of decarbonisation and energy transition. as well as new ones.” So, in the medium term, high voltage is already an empty dream for Stellantis and the motor industry as a whole.
As FARO published this week, more than a hundred vehicle factories across the European Union have a very high voltage source with a network of at least 220 kV. Only one in ten factories for cars and vans has the same power as the one feeding Balaidos. “We will continue to insist from Xunta that Stellantis high voltage is required to enter the current planning, and if not, we will request that it be a priority in the new process, but we understand that in any case it will be developed in the 2021 network,” placed the Xunta representative at Vigo.
Source: Informacion
Christina Moncayo is a contributing writer for “Social Bites”. Her focus is on the gaming industry and she provides in-depth coverage of the latest news and trends in the world of gaming.