Going, going, gone as Carboneras power station shuts down in Almeria province

ON December 16, an operative pressed the button that turned off the generators at the power station in Carboneras (Almeria).

“We have turned a page in our history but will fill others, writing about a prosperous future for Carboneras,” mayor Jose Luis Amerigo Fernandez vowed.

To do so, he stressed, it was necessary to benefit from the EU’s Fair Transition policies towards a climate-neutral economy that left no-one behind..

“We were generous almost 40 years ago regarding the installation of the generating plant that has been key to the development of the province, Andalucia and Spain,” the mayor continued.

“We now hope for the same generosity from the Spanish government, the Junta de Andalucia and the Diputacion provincial council.”

From the outset the power station provided many jobs that will now be lost and it is vital to guarantee the future, Amerigo pointed out.

The town hall would soon be signing an agreement with the Junta and Endesa, he revealed, focusing not only on retraining employees affected by the shut-down but also others hoping to find work in decommissioning the plant, which is expected to take between four and six years to complete.

“New opportunities will have to be created for the population of an area that has always been one of the most industrialised in Almeria,” Amerigo said.