Stellantis Vigo: A Power Challenge at Spain’s Only 132 kV Car Factory
The Stellantis plant in Vigo stands out as the sole car factory in Spain that does not connect to a very high voltage grid. It runs on a 132 kilovolt (kV) network, yet the supply is increasingly constrained as model electrification and automation ramp up inside the facility. In 2015, when the nationwide move away from internal combustion engines was still a looming forecast and automation ambitions surged, the central government acknowledged that the Vigo site required significantly more capacity. During the 2015-2020 electricity transmission planning for the Spanish grid (REE), a plan emerged to build a substation that would feed the facility with a 220 kV connection. That investment never materialized. Since then, the project lingered, consuming 66.8 million euros in funding and facing hundreds of micro-interruptions and voltage drops that have translated into the loss of numerous output vehicles. The factory’s technical studies, corporate claims, and even parliamentary inquiries could not sway Minister Teresa Ribera, nor did the view of the UVigo Electrical Engineering Department Electrotechnical and Electrical Networks Group alter the outcome. Vigo would remain the only Stellantis site in the country without access to a very high voltage grid.
On July 6, the Assembly’s Industry, Trade and Tourism Committee approved a motion promoted by Vigo’s representative Javier Guerra, urging a revision of Red Eléctrica’s planning (for the 2021-2026 period) to incorporate a Vigo substation. The measure commanded cross-party support from all groups (PNV, Ciudadanos, Democratic Group, and Left Group), while Socialists and ERC abstained. Yet the Government sent the Senate the same arguments it had offered in May, a communication FARO later obtained. It stated, in essence, that there was no evidence of distinctly poor supply quality at the 132 kV level due to voltage drops, and therefore the case for a 220 kV connection remained unproven. The document, dated August 24, echoed the claim that micro-interruptions could not justify the investment, even though these quick outages have historically caused substantial production losses at Vigo, sometimes taking hundreds of vehicles offline in a single day. The conclusion pressed is that upgrading the transmission network via a new substation did not appear warranted around the Vigo Stellantis plant.
Additionally, factory leadership has highlighted that such planning limits could hamper broader industrial plans in the region. They have argued that without a more robust, higher-capacity connection, the plant faces ongoing supply volatility and costly production pauses that hamper competitiveness. The electricity supply law of 2000 remains the governing framework, and while it addresses the likelihood of outages lasting more than three minutes, Vigo’s 132 kV arrangement — combined with urban siting and frequent micro-outages — creates a risk profile not fully captured by the statute. In practice, a millisecond micro-cut can halt key operations, triggering outsized production losses that the current standard does not adequately compensate for. The plant has repeatedly asserted that it requires credible, consistent supply to sustain its manufacturing tempo and ensure reliability for the city’s automotive ecosystem. They emphasize that a reliable power backbone is essential for maintaining the plant’s productivity and safeguarding local jobs, supply chains, and regional economic stability.
Experts note that the debate hinges on whether the incremental benefits of a 220 kV link would justify the cost and the strategic value for Vigo. Proponents argue that a substation would reduce vulnerability to voltage fluctuations and improve resilience during peak demand or fault events, thereby stabilizing output and enabling longer-term investment in automation and capacity. Critics, however, point to the need for a thorough cost-benefit analysis and demand more transparent, long-run planning from the national grid operator. Stakeholders are watching closely as public committees weigh the trade-offs between immediate costs and potential productivity gains, with implications extending beyond a single factory to the future configuration of Spain’s electricity infrastructure and regional industrial health.
In the broader context, the dispute underscores the tension between national energy policy and the practical realities of large manufacturing sites operating at 132 kV. The Vigo case offers a lens into how voltage stability, grid planning, and supply reliability intertwine with corporate strategy in an era of rapid electrification and digital automation. As long as the question remains whether 220 kV support is justified at Vigo, the plant will continue to navigate the constraint of a high-voltage absence while pursuing measures to optimize uptime, productivity, and cost efficiency within the existing grid framework. The outcome will likely influence how similar sites evaluate their own grid connections, backup strategies, and long-term investment plans in Spain’s evolving energy landscape. This enduring issue, documented and debated across regional councils and industry circles, spotlights the crucial link between power infrastructure and competitive manufacturing in a modern automotive economy. [citation needed]