A Leonese Village in Transformation
La Robla, a town in León with a population of approximately 3,600 inhabitants, is in a moment of change and renewal. In the past, this town had nearly 6,000 inhabitants in the 1980s. However, with the closure of the Hullera Vasco Leonesa thermal power plant and coal mines, the town has had to look for new alternatives for its future.
Bet on Renewable Energies
La Robla has decided to bet on renewable energies as a way to promote its development. With the Robla Green project, the inhabitants of La Robla continue their tradition of energy production, but now in a sustainable way. Using photovoltaic panels and the burning of biomass, the villa will generate energy in the form of hydrogen. This project seeks to overcome the challenges that have affected the region, where only one large company remains, the Corporación Masaveu cement factory.
Naturgy and Photovoltaic Energy Generation
In spring, the region received good news with the authorization of the Ministry of Ecological Transition for the construction of two photovoltaic plants in the surroundings of the old La Robla coal plant. These plants, called ‘La Pradera’ and ‘Los Corrales’, will have an installed capacity of 195 MW and 225 MW respectively. It is estimated that they will generate around 700 GWh per year, equivalent to the electricity consumption of more than 210,000 homes. Part of this production will go to the Robla Green project, which includes a biomass plant called Roblum and a green methanol factory called La Robla Nueva Energía.
Investment and Employment Generation
The execution of this project will require an investment of 440 million euros. Of this amount, 175 million will be allocated to the construction of the biomass plant and 264 million to the e-methanol plant. Work is expected to begin in 2024 and employ around 450 workers. Once the facilities are operational, 100 direct jobs and another 90 jobs associated with biomass production will be created. Although these numbers are smaller compared to the jobs generated by the mining industry in the past, they represent an opportunity for the Ciñera-Matallana basin and its two main towns, La Robla and La Pola de Gordón, to escape a fate similar to the from other mining towns.