<article><p class="lead">Spanish utility Endesa does not plan to produce coal-fired power in mainland Spain anymore despite not yet having received the closure approval for its last remaining plant, the 1.4GW Puentes de Garcia Rodriguez complex in the northwest region of Galicia.</p><p>The company on 28 June disconnected the Puentes units 1 and 2, each with 351MW, which are officially <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2345654">unavailable until 1 September</a>, according to the latest Remit notices. Units 3 and 4 have been unavailable since 9 September last year.</p><p>"Units 1 and 2 have ceased operation as they require legal inspections, as well as relevant reviews of their desulphurisation systems that make their operation impossible," Endesa told <i>Argus</i> today.</p><p>Coal stockpiles at the facility have now been finished, and Endesa does not plan to continue operating the units. It requested the closure <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2042085">at the end of 2019</a>, as Spanish coal-fired units became uncompetitive with domestic combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs). The utility restarted units 1 and 2 late last year but insisted the situation was <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2276206">"completely exceptional"</a>, having failed to receive the closure approvals <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2163328">by June last year as originally expected</a>.</p><p>"After two and a half years waiting for the closure approval, some very important investments and actions are required, which for safety and environmental reasons do not allow [Puentes] to continue operating without them being carried out," Endesa said today. Power grid operator REE has already given its green light for the closure, although final authorisation still depends on other Spanish authorities, Endesa said.</p><p>"This situation needs to be resolved administratively and a decision needs to be made," Endesa said.</p><p>Hourly coal-fired generation in mainland Spain has been stable at about 1.3GW for the past two days, although output reached as high as nearly 1.9GW on 16-17 June, REE data show. Output has reached 792GWh so far in June, or about 1.14GW, the highest for any month since March 2019.</p><p>Endesa's decision means just three coal-fired units with a combined 1.48GW of capacity will now be available in mainland Spain — Portuguese utility EDP's 562MW Abono 2, 346MW Soto de Ribera 3 and 570MW Los Barrios. EDP's 341MW Abono 1 and 300MW Puentenuevo 3 units are both unavailable until at least the end of this year.</p><p class="bylines"><i>By Juan Weik</i></p></article>
