Iberdrola España Activates Spain’s First Large-Scale Batteries In Cuenca, Adding 60 MWh Storage Systems At Romeral And Olmedilla To Power 13,000 Homes For Two Hours

Iberdrola España has put Spain’s first large-scale battery systems into operation in Alarcón, located in the province of Cuenca. Each system has a storage capacity of 60 MWh and close to 30 MW of power. Together, the Romeral and Olmedilla batteries can store enough clean, zero-emissions electricity to supply more than 13,000 homes for two hours. This marks an important step in Spain’s progress toward modern, flexible, and low-carbon energy infrastructure. The construction of both battery installations created more than 100 jobs and involved several national suppliers. Among them was Jema, a company based in Gipuzkoa, which played a key role in building the integrator units.

This project once again demonstrates how renewable energy projects can stimulate skilled employment and support domestic industry in Spain. The new batteries are integrated into a hybrid system that allows them to share the same grid connection point as the Romeral and Olmedilla photovoltaic plants, which connect through the Olmedilla node. Each storage installation includes six converters of 4.5 MW and one of 2.25 MW, along with 13 battery modules of 4.66 MWh each. This design ensures high-performance storage capable of supporting the grid at critical times.

The Romeral and Olmedilla solar plants, each with an installed capacity of 50 MW, generate clean energy for a population equivalent to more than 24,500 homes annually in the case of Romeral and nearly 30,000 homes for Olmedilla. These facilities also help reduce carbon emissions, with Romeral avoiding 15,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year and Olmedilla avoiding 18,000 tonnes. In recognition of its environmental standards, the Olmedilla photovoltaic plant received the UNEF sustainability seal in 2022. The hybrid model used for these installations improves efficiency and reduces environmental impact. By sharing infrastructure such as access roads, the substation, and the electricity evacuation line, the footprint of the project is significantly smaller than if two separate plants had been built.

Hybrid generation also makes better use of land that has already been designated for renewable energy, ensuring responsible development. Battery storage plays a crucial role in improving the performance of the electrical system. This technology helps maximise the use of renewable energy, regulates grid frequency in milliseconds, provides backup power during peak demand, and improves the quality and reliability of electricity supply. It also helps integrate more renewable energy into the grid by smoothing out fluctuations in production. The Romeral and Olmedilla batteries are part of a broader group of six energy storage systems with a total capacity of 173 MW.

These systems have been recognised by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) as Strategic Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation under the ERHA category, which focuses on renewable energy, green hydrogen, and storage. The Romeral battery received close to €8 million in support, while Olmedilla received €3.5 million from this programme. The remaining four batteries include one in Castile and León, connected to the Revilla Vallejera photovoltaic plant in Burgos, where Iberdrola España completed Spain’s first hybrid wind-solar plant in 2023. Two more are located in Extremadura, linked to the Arañuelo I and II photovoltaic facilities, and another battery is in Huelva, connected to the Andévalo photovoltaic plant, the first in Spain to obtain the UNEF Certificate of Excellence.

Once all six systems are fully operational, they will together provide 173 MW of storage capacity. Iberdrola España has made energy storage one of the central pillars of its strategy for electrification and decarbonisation. The company continues to invest in both large-scale and smaller-scale storage solutions, viewing them as essential for supporting the energy transition. It has long been a leader in pumped-storage hydroelectric technology, with 4.5 GW of installed capacity. Major facilities operated by the company include La Muela, Villarino, Tâmega, and Santiago-Sil-Xares.

The company is also a pioneer in lithium-ion storage in Spain. In 2021, it installed its first battery hybridised with a solar plant at Campo Arañuelo III in Extremadura. It also operates a 20 MWh battery in Puertollano, which stores electricity from a solar plant used to produce green hydrogen for the largest industrial-scale hydrogen facility in Europe. In the Basque Country, Iberdrola España operates a battery in Abadiño that can connect directly to the grid independently of a generation facility, and another in Álava that stores wind power from the Elgea-Urkilla wind farm.