Another example of reuse of equipment can be found at the Andorra Power Plant in Teruel, where the synchronous alternators are to be reused for the photovoltaic plant being built there. This involves the avoidance of more than 1,200 tonnes of waste, as well as the reuse of the part of the infrastructure necessary for the construction and connection of the new renewable facility.
There is also a second use for the spare parts found in the central warehouses: 32% of the spare parts stored in Andorra will be reused within the company and more than 21% of those at the Compostilla Power Plant (León).
Waste recovery and selective demolition
In all the dismantling work, which lasts for several years, there is a treatment of the waste that has already been created and that is also part of the circularity of the process. In the case of concrete waste from this process, it will be used to fill the gaps generated in the works, as well as in the morphological remodelling of the land after the demolitions. Other types of waste that are recovered are ceramic materials, plaster, metals (iron, steel), uncontaminated earth and rocks and other construction and demolition waste.
The demolition is performed selectively, that is, in a gradual and coordinated way to ensure maximum use of the materials that constitute the demolition waste, thus minimising the fraction destined for landfill. Currently, work is being done so that the recovery of the waste generated can be above 90%.
In order to reduce the effects on the environment as much as possible, an environmental surveillance plan will be implemented, with special attention paid to emissions and discharges during the execution of the work.
Futur-e plans for a just transition
In order to mitigate the social and economic impact caused by the shutdown of these plants, we are carrying out Futur-e plans in the surrounding areas of the plants. The aim of these plans is to create shared value with all the local stakeholders affected and to apply the criteria of the circular economy so as to bring in new business models that will work in these different areas.
The Futur-e plans include the incorporation of local labor in the decommissioning and in the development of new renewable projects, training actions aimed at improving the employability of local professionals, measures to promote economic activity and employment in the area and initiatives to promote sustainability in the municipalities.
In the case of Compostilla, an international call for projects has also been launched to attract economic activity and employment to the area. Through this tender process, several projects have already been identified that could be developed on the site of the plant and that could turn Compostilla into a benchmark for sustainable mobility, social health services and circular economy on a national scale.
This reindustrialisation model also includes the circularity vector, both due to the reuse of part of the Compostilla site to host new industrial initiatives and due to the highly circular nature of the projects that will end up being implemented: reuse of wind turbine blades, recovery of waste, new uses for electric car batteries or production of hydrogen obtained from renewable sources.
This international tender model to attract reindustrialisation projects with circularity criteria will also be applied at the Litoral Power Plant in Almería from 2021.