Iberdrola has announced it has modernised and upgraded almost half of its small hydropower fleet in Spain in a €10 million investment project.
The company has overhauled 45 of its 92 small hydro plants over three years, equipping the oldest plants with more efficient and advanced technology to improve output and extend their lifespan.
The project included the electromechanical reengineering of turbines and alternators, as well as civil works to upgrade canals and weirs and the replacement of control systems. Important environmental and safety measures were also carried out, such as raising fish ladders at weirs and fences along canals.
Some 60 Iberdrola employees were assigned to the project and numerous local suppliers and contractors benefited from the construction works, the company said in a statement.
In the first half of 2014, Iberdrola operated small hydropower plants in Spain with a combined capacity of 306MW. The facilities upgraded include three in the autonomous regions of the Basque Country, seven in Valencia, 15 in Castile and León, four in Castile-La Mancha, nine in Navarre and seven in La Rioja.
