Ence’s biomass renewable energy plant in Mérida generates enough electricity to meet the domestic needs of 120,000 people, a population equivalent to twice the city of Mérida itself. It is a green and sustainable energy, in addition to being manageable, which contributes to the decarbonisation of the national system, generates employment opportunities in the so-called “Emptied Spain” and represents an environmentally responsible solution for the plant remains of agricultural activities in the territories. rural.
Ence manages a biomass generation plant in Mérida, Extremadura, with a 20 MW capacity. These facilities contributed to the grid, last year, 148,000 MWh of renewable and fully manageable electricity from the recovery of plant remains, mainly agricultural.
It should be noted that these types of facilities allow us to take advantage of the great opportunity posed by the global challenge of the energy transition towards a decarbonised model and contribute to meeting the renewable generation objectives established at the European and Spanish level.
In addition, and within Ence’s plan to replace self-consumption with renewable energy in its facilities, the Mérida plant has a photovoltaic plant capable of generating more than 500,000 kWh per year, which also means avoiding the annual emission of 125 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere.
On the other hand, the energy use of all the forest and agricultural remains around the Ence plant in Mérida generates important benefits to the community, in terms of economic dynamism and employment. According to data from the Association of Renewable Energy Companies (APPA), each megawatt installed for biomass supports 30 jobs between direct, indirect and induced, which raises the social impact of Ence’s energy activity in this autonomous community up to 600 jobs.
At this point, the contribution of these facilities to the fight against “Empty Spain” is evident, by creating employment and wealth in the rural environment in which they operate. In fact, on average, 85% of the direct and indirect workers of Ence’s renewable energy plants are professionals from neighboring towns; and the company is committed to giving priority to suppliers located in the region in its purchasing processes, as part of its commitment to developing the environments where it operates.
Ence is the largest generator of renewable energy with biomass in Spain, with an installed capacity of 266 MW and a project portfolio of 505 MW, which also includes photovoltaic installations. The company acquires, annually, 1.7 million tons of biomass, applying its own decalogue that guarantees its sustainable use as fuel, thus promoting the circular economy in rural areas. Ence’s plants, by taking advantage of local agricultural and forestry plant remains, contribute to reducing their environmental impact, solving problems in their management, and minimizing the risk of fires.
Ence is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to the objectives established at the national and international level to fight against climate change. In this sense, the company works intensively to collaborate in the necessary green recovery after the pandemic, which should shape European investment policies in the coming years.
