Energy company Endesa is planning the closure of the Es Murterar coal-fired power station in 2026. In Alcudia and located by the Albufera Nature Park, Es Murterar has been operational for the best part of fifty years. It replaced the power station in Alcanada, which was fully decommissioned in 1984; the future of that plant continues to be uncertain.
The company is finalising a series of early retirements for the longest-serving employees. The remaining workers, around fifty, will be reassigned to other positions. Es Murterar is currently Endesa's only remaining coal-fired power plant in Spain; the others have been progressively closed down. Only two of the four production units have remained operational with a limited number of hours per year.
Endesa's goal is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. The path to achieving this involves decarbonising production processes while at the same time creating renewable energy plants; the Es Murterar site, for example, has a vast photovoltaic park.
The closure decision ultimately lies with Spain's ministry for ecological transition. Conditions are said to be right for the government to confirm the closure of the Mallorca plant, the original plan for decommissioning having envisaged a likely closure in 2026.
The schedule was agreed in 2019 by Endesa and the Balearic and Spanish governments. This was linked to the establishment of the second mainland electricity cable. A massive undertaking, this cable has been delayed by arguments as to the arrival point in Alcudia and the land route to a substation on the industrial estate next to Es Murterar. The land route has now been as good as decided, although there are still challenges. It is believed that it won't become operational until 2030.
However, recent progress in the decarbonisation process has paved the way for Es Murterar to finally be shut down completely.
All the coal for the plant was shipped into the port in Alcudia. Coal trucks making the journeys to and from Es Murterar used to be a very familiar sight. They were also the subject of criticism because of coal dust which escaped from under the covers.