EDP has taken the final investment decision to construct a 3.2MW hydroelectric plant at the Rioseco dam in Sobrescobio, Asturias, marking the company’s latest addition to its regional hydropower portfolio. The €8 million project has secured €4.2 million in support from NextGenerationEU funds through Spain’s Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE).
The facility is scheduled to enter service in 2026 and is expected to deliver around 8GWh of electricity annually. The company also forecasts avoided emissions of approximately 1,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year.
Although new, the plant will occupy a location included in the original design of the Rioseco dam, completed in the late 1970s. Existing conduits at the site will channel up to 20,000 litres of water per second from the reservoir to two 1.6MW cross-flow generating units. The reservoir currently operates as the lower basin for the Tanes pumped storage system, enabling the new plant to integrate into established water-management operations.
EDP says project execution will follow strict safety and environmental procedures. “All work will be planned and executed in compliance with the highest safety standards, with continuous coordination, inspection, and monitoring to ensure there are no preventive and/or environmental impacts, strongly involving teams and partner companies.”
Hydropower has been central to EDP’s activity in Asturias for more than a century, beginning with the La Malva plant in 1917. The company now operates 10 hydroelectric sites in the region with a combined installed capacity of 42 MW and an average annual output of 880GWh. The Rioseco installation will become the eleventh plant in this network once it enters operation in 2026.
