plant

This is the nitrogen plant that will shield electric mobility

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Extremadura is ceasing to be solely a heritage and agricultural reference to consolidating itself as a new strategic pole on the map of the international energy industry. The latest confirmation of this metamorphosis comes from China: the multinational Jinhong Gas. This Chinese giant has chosen the regional capital to take the leap and install its first factory in all of Europe. In short. As stated in a resolution of the Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE)the Government of Extremadura has been released to public information the request for Unified Environmental Authorization (AAU) for this project. With this movement, a legal period of 20 business days is opened so that any person or entity can consult the technical file and present the pertinent allegations before its final approval. More in depth. In fact, to protect this operation, the Asian corporation has already formally established in the city the commercial company ‘Jinhong Gas (Spain) SL’, injecting an initial share capital of 100,000 euros. In economic and logistical terms, the main objective of this nitrogen plant is to directly supply the future gigafactory of materials for cathodes for electric vehicle batteries promoted by its compatriot, the Chinese company Hunan Yuneng, and which plans to mobilize 800 million euros and create around 500 direct jobs. The basis of the project. The DOE provides a technical x-ray exhaustive. The factory will be built on plot I-18 of the Expacio Mérida business park, occupying an area of ​​12,000 square meters. Its forecasts are massive: operating about 8,000 hours per year, the facility will have the capacity to produce up to 100 million cubic meters of nitrogen per year (17,000 Nm3/h). The industrial process, according to the official documentwill use cryogenic air separation technology. This means subjecting the air to a complex circuit that includes compression using 1,250 kW turbines, purifying drying to eliminate CO2 and humidity, and extreme cooling using pumps that operate at -196 ºC. All this happens in a “Cold Box” where the air is distilled to obtain nitrogen with a purity greater than 99%. At a logistical level, the production will be sent in gaseous format through direct pipelines to the final consumer (like neighbor Hunan Yuneng). The rest will be stored in a liquid state in two monumental vertical cryogenic tanks, 4 meters in diameter and 250 cubic meters in capacity each, for sale to third parties. To maintain this production rate, the project estimates an annual consumption of 36.8 GW of electrical energy and 96,000 cubic meters of water. The thirst for megawatts. Like the Extremaduran gigafactories, the technological giants that land in the country share the same need: an inexhaustible thirst for stable and cheap energy. And this is where Spain has the resources to lead the continent. Thanks to an unprecedented photovoltaic and wind deployment, the country has earned the right to dream of being the great “Europe battery”. This immense renewable potential is the perfect magnet for the new electro-intensive industry and is what drives us in the race to be the great hub of data centers in southern Europe. To pave the way, the Government is already making moves to shield these macroprojects from electrical costseliminating anachronistic barriers such as the obligation to consume at night (the old off-peak hours), a requirement that does not make sense when our solar energy overflows the meters at noon. Kilometer zero of the new industry. With earthworks already started in ExpacioMérida and environmental procedures in their public exhibition phase, Extremadura takes an irreversible step. The ancient Roman capital embraces the 21st century, assuming a leading role. It is no longer just about attracting Asian multinationals, but about demonstrating that Spain can combine reindustrialization with clean energy, establishing itself as the perfect ecosystem for the mobility and technology of the future. Image | jh-gas Xataka | The war with Iran has made energy a problem. The United Kingdom believes it has a solution: solar panels

China is giving an overwhelming lesson in nuclear power plant construction to the rest of the planet

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The time it requires the construction of a nuclear power plant From the moment the concrete is poured until the moment it is connected to the electrical grid, it takes between 15 and 19 years in the West; between 7 and 9 years in Asia and the Middle East; and 6 to 10 years in India and Russia. And the total cost of the project usually ranges between 24,000 and 60,000 million dollars. Barakah 4 nuclear power plantin the United Arab Emirates, has four nuclear reactors, took 9 years to build and cost $24.4 billion. On the other hand, the nuclear plant Hinkley Point Cin the United Kingdom, clearly illustrates the execution problems faced by some Western nuclear projects. After several delays Its first reactor will come into operation at best 13 years after the start of construction of the plant. And its final cost will exceed 50 billion dollars. At an intermediate point, Vogtle Unit 4 is established, in the US, which has taken 11 years to be operational and has cost about 35 billion dollars. As can be expected, the number of reactors and the technology they use have a profound impact on the cost of the plant and the time that needs to be invested in its development. Even so, as we have just seen, construction costs and time vary greatly from one region of the planet to another, especially if we introduce China into the equation. And in this scenario the country led by Xi Jinping is unbeatable with a average construction time of 6 years per nuclear plant and a cost of $2,500/kW compared to the 10-year average and almost 8,500 dollars/kW for the rest of the planet. China’s recipe is the most competitive Shangwei Liu explains clearly in the article you published on the website of the Roosevelt Institute what is the strategy that China has devised to reduce the cost and time invested in the construction of its next-generation nuclear power plants. Its plan is based on two pillars: the reconstruction of the supply chain and economies of scale. To a large extent, China’s success is due to the fact that it has managed to create a national supply chain that is immune to the ups and downs and instability of the international market. In addition, it has a lot of qualified labor in all links of its supply chain. There is only one country on the entire planet capable of approaching China’s numbers in this complex and demanding scenario: South Korea. On the other hand, the economy of scale that has given China so much joy in a very wide range of markets also has a place in the production of the components required by nuclear plants. Furthermore, when replacing components manufactured abroad by local elements This Asian country managed to drastically reduce costs during the first decade of this century, and stabilize them during the last decade. However, there is another factor that works in China’s favor and that we cannot ignore: its coordinated industrial policy and stable regulatory framework allow it to carry out long-term planning. There is only one country on the entire planet capable of approaching China’s numbers in this complex and demanding scenario: South Korea. Its latest nuclear plant projects show a cost of between 3,500 and 4,500 dollars/kWwhich places it close to China, with 2,500 dollars/kW, and well below the average of 8,500 dollars/kW for the rest of the planet. This achievement is the result of approaching nuclear energy as an industrial assembly line and not as a set of isolated engineering projects. Again, economy of scale makes the difference. The US numbers are much less favorable. And the total cost of its latest nuclear plants exceeds $15,000/kWalthough presumably this figure will moderate until it barely exceeds the $10,000/kW in future projects. If Western countries want to drastically reduce their costs and moderate the time it takes to construct their nuclear power plants, they will necessarily have to look towards China and South Korea. The reconstruction of their supply chain is essential, and, in addition, they will have to resolve the crossroads posed by the commitment to large reactors, or by compact modular reactors. At the moment there are no other options on the table. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | Roosevelt Institute In Xataka | The future of energy is floating in the Arctic: Russia’s ace up its sleeve is a nuclear plant

a walk to the heart of the Michelin plant in Vitoria

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“Here we all know someone who works at Michelin. Most stay but others go to Valladolid for a few years, others to Lasarte… others even come and go to Lasarte, although less so.” Five minutes of chatting with colleagues from the local press is enough to confirm the impact of Michelin in Vitoria, a company that directly employs 3,500 people. The province is the most industrialized in Spain. The city seems chiseled by the idealists of sustainable mobility. The facilities of Michelin and the city center are separated by 15 minutes by bus, “it would have taken eight minutes by tram,” another of the colleagues who attended the presentation points out. It almost sounds like a joke, a city where a good part of the direct and indirect jobs are created by Mercedes and Michelin has experienced a reconversion that is the envy of Spain and an example in Europe. Before, Michelin tires that they manufactured themselves passed through their urban area. Now too, but bicycles ride them and not cars. Those same cars that will soon be able to wear the Michelin Primacy 5 Energy and the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Energy, the two premium compounds that the French company will soon launch. The first are already beginning to be manufactured in Vitoria. The seconds have not yet been awarded but the Basque plant is one of the best positioned. Tires with a chip and million-dollar figures 60 years have passed since Michelin opened the doors of its factory in Vitoria. So, on the outskirts of the city. Today, the avenue that leads to its facilities is a continuous flow of cyclists who ride calmly between well-designed bike lanes. Vitoria does not have much to envy of Amsterdam. In fact, to live there, nothing to envy if we take into account the tourist explosion of the dutch city. “How are you able to live in a nice city?” I joke with the locals longing for a fraction of the photograph I have in front of my eyes for Madrid. That’s where we are when we cross the doors and Bibendum greets us next to a gigantic tire. It is by no means the largest manufactured there. The latter weighs 5.7 tons. The one in front of us will only weigh a couple of them. But this time we have not come to learn about heavy transport tires. This time we are here to learn about Michelin’s new premium compounds. The Primacy 5 Energy are already manufactured in Vitoria and if everything goes as it should, 200,000 tires will be manufactured before the end of 2026. The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Energy, at the moment, are being finalized but in a few months they will begin to be manufactured here or in any other plant that the company has throughout Europe. In both cases they are summer tires but with clearly different approaches. The latter are designed for sports cars and more aggressive driving. As an example, the performance of its prototype version during the test that Mercedes carried out with its Mercedes Concept AMG GT XX in Italy: a week at more than 300 km/h without rest. With extraordinary results, it must be said. 25 world records broken in one fell swoop. Those that are manufactured are the Primacy 5 Energya tire that replaces the e-Primacy, which was a range designed to improve consumption without sacrificing performance. According to the company, these tires are now quieter, improving braking by 8% both new and with used rubber. And, they defend, they offer 30% better grip than their main rival. Of course, it was not revealed who they consider to be the main competitor. What is irrefutable is that the tire has earned a triple A on the efficiency label used by the European Union to determine the performance of rubber. That is, it has obtained the best grade in the wet grip, consumption and noise tests. To reach our cars, the manufacturing of these tires begins within the Vitoria plant. There, the company shapes the rubber as if it were kneading industrial bread. The materials are crushed and heated until they are malleable enough to cover the first layers of the tire. A structure that also uses textile fibers to give rigidity to the final product. The process progresses between robots and operators who are mere spectators at best. Its function is to control that the highly mechanized process works correctly and that the type of compound that a central unit requires is manufactured at all times, anticipating a possible stock out. Between robots and conveyor belts, the rubber bands advance and are structured. Step by step they reach the coating with the outer rubber, the layer that treads on the ground. A very high temperature firing process reveals the final design. It is time to let it cool and check with machines that apply thousands of light flashes if the quality is correct. The last workers check with their hands and eyes that everything has gone as it should. It is the most artisanal part of the production. The most digital one occurs in between. The company is already including small chips in its wheels in RFID format. At the moment they only have detailed information on the type of compound and its dimensions. Manufacturers only need one reading device to store the rubber bands correctly in the shortest possible time. This novelty is not a whim of the company. We must remember that Europe’s intention is to get serious about wheel contamination so it could be used to control the traceability of the product. In the absence of defining the latter, what is certain, they explain to us, is that in 2029 all tires sold must have this system. Vitoria aspires to become the first factory in the world to implement these chips in all manufactured tires this year. If this happens, eight million tires will leave their doors with this control system. And this is the … Read more

We have been avoiding the definitive energy crisis for months. Iran’s missile at Qatar’s largest gas plant threatens to detonate it

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We had been holding our breath for weeks, assuming the logistical tension in the Strait of Hormuz like the new normal. However, the war has crossed an irreversible red line. We have gone from a trade blockade to the physical destruction of the world’s energy engine, and the consequences are already being felt in the global economy. The impact has been immediate. The price of natural gas in Europe (the TTF reference contract) has shot up 35% in a matter of hours, resurrecting the worst ghosts of the Ukrainian crisis of 2022. The magnitude of the disaster is such that Susan Sakmar, a professor at the University of Houston, warns in Bloomberg that this attack could be “a turning point for the LNG sector, similar to the attack against Nord Stream or perhaps even worse”, as it is a sudden interruption with no signs of a short-term solution. The chronological climb. To understand how we got here we have to look at the chain of events of the last 48 hours. The original trigger, as revealed The Wall Street Journalwas an attack by Israel against the South Pars field, the jewel in the crown of the Iranian energy industry, with the aim of suffocating the sources of financing for the Revolutionary Guard. And it is not just any objective. The analyst Joaquín Coronado emphasizes that South Paris (shared with Qatar, where it is called North Dome) is the largest natural gas field in the world, hosting 10% of global reserves. 70% of Iranian domestic consumption gas comes from there and generates 80% of the Qatari State’s income. A withering response from Tehran. As pointed out Financial TimesIran launched ballistic missiles against the giant Ras Laffan industrial complex in Qatar, the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in the world and home to key infrastructure such as Shell’s Pearl GTL plant. State-owned company QatarEnergy confirmed “extensive damage” and fires at its facilities. Panic spread throughout the Persian Gulf. According to Reutersthe Iranian Revolutionary Guard issued public evacuation orders, declaring vital energy facilities in Saudi Arabia (such as the Samref refinery and the Jubail complex), the United Arab Emirates (the Al Hosn gas field) and Qatar as “legitimate targets.” Shortly afterward, Riyadh intercepted missiles aimed at the Saudi capital. The market has felt the blow. Oil prices have gone crazy. As detailed oil price, a barrel of Brent surpassing the barrier of 110-113 dollars, which represents an increase of almost 60% in this month of March. However, the real problem goes beyond the daily price. Martin Senior, of Argus Media, warns of a “new level of impact”. It is no longer just about the logistical closure of the Strait of Hormuz (through which 20% of the world’s oil passes); The problem is that the time to repair these destroyed facilities could last much longer than the war itself. And the worst omens already have figures. As has revealed exclusively in Reuters CEO of QatarEnergy, the Iranian attack has knocked out 17% of the country’s LNG capacity for a period that could last up to five years. The domino effect. This situation is taking third countries on their way. As explained CrownedIraq has suddenly lost 3,100 megawatts of electricity due to the Iranian supply cut, while Türkiye will be forced to compete fiercely for emergency LNG shipments. In Europe, the panic is evident: the bulletin Europe Express of the Financial Times reveals that war has blown up the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, where debate on how to improve competitiveness has been completely overshadowed by fear of energy bills and domestic pressure on the emissions trading system. Geopolitics to the limit. Diplomacy appears broken and America’s allies are losing patience. According to the Wall Street JournalArab governments are “furious” because they feel that the US and Israel strategy has put a target on their backs. For its part, Al Jazeera includes the statements of the Saudi Foreign MinisterPrince Faisal bin Farhan, who has warned Iran that the Gulf’s patience “is not unlimited” and they reserve the right to take military action. Qatar, for its part, has expelled the Iranian diplomats, giving them 24 hours to leave the country. In the midst of this chaos, Washington’s role is erratic. President Donald Trump went to social media to deny prior knowledge of the Israeli attack on South Paris. However, how to collect WSJ, Trump issued an ultimatum to Tehran: if it attacks Qatar again, the US will “massively blow up the entire” Iranian oilfield. Faced with rising prices, the White House is seeking desperate measures. The column of Javier Blas in Bloomberg reveals a controversial plan of the US Treasury: to intervene directly in the financial markets by betting on the downside (shorting) in oil futures to artificially make gasoline cheaper before the elections. An idea that experts such as the CEO of CME Group describe as a “biblical disaster” that would destroy confidence in the free market. The peripheral context. To get the full picture, you have to look beyond the explosions. Verisk Maplecroft Analyst warn in Reuters that the greatest danger right now is that the attacks will extend to Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline or to Red Sea ports. These were the only viable alternative routes to avoid the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil normally transits. In an attempt to cushion the blow domestically, the Trump administration has temporarily suspended the century-old Jones Act (Jones Act) for 60 days, allowing foreign-flagged ships to transport oil and gas between US ports to reduce costs. The dead end. The panorama is bleak. As they reflect on Five Daysthe apparent lightness with which this conflict has developed has dragged us into a dead end. Iran has shown that it does not need to win a conventional war; It is enough for him to set the energetic heart of the planet on fire. Even if a ceasefire were signed tomorrow and ships sailed freely through the Strait of … Read more

is building a 2,100 MW mega hydroelectric plant in Tibet

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China has put the turbo into the energy transition towards renewables and for example, a button: only in 2025 will it install more wind electric capacity that the United States throughout its history. That same milestone but with solar panels He achieved it in 2023. But renewable energies have their problems and one of their critical points is storage: what to do with that surplus on a sunny and/or windy day? The answer normally (if there is no storage system) it’s wasting it. But China is also a specialist in mega-constructions, due to its colossal size, its blazing speed of construction or even for setting up facilities in places as inhospitable as a solar park on the tibetan plateau. If we combine these two ingredients we have the next great Chinese recipe: a mega hydroelectric plant in the middle of the Tibetan plateau. The project. Two years ago, the state-owned Yalong River Hydropower Development Company laid the foundation stone for the future Daofu hydropower plant, in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in Sichuan (southwest China). This plant will have a total installed capacity of 2,100 MW and its infrastructure will consist of two reservoirs, a forced conduction system, an underground plant excavated in the rock and a surface substation. When operational, it will be the highest-altitude pumped hydroelectric power station in the world, surpassing by 700 meters the record-holder, the Yamzho Yumco Lake Pumped Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Xizang Autonomous Region. how to explain Xinhua, China’s official news agency. Why is it important. Fundamentally, because it solves the main bottleneck of renewables. Daofu is integrated into the Yalong River clean energy ecosystem, with a current operational capacity of 21,000 MW between hydro, solar and wind and with plans to reach 78,000 MW in 2035. Without mass storage, a significant part of that energy would be wasted or destabilize the network. On the other hand, it shows that it can be built in extreme conditions and its technical advances will serve to accelerate projects with similar characteristics. Finally, and hand in hand with the global energy transition, China takes a giant step in the global race for storage: it closed 2024 with 58 GW of installed pumping capacity, as the absolute world leader, and plans to overcome 120GW in 2030. Context. The production of renewable energy is becoming increasingly more affordable and simpler thanks to the democratization and evolution of technologies, but the Gordian knot continues to be storage: not wasting energy when more than necessary is produced and, conversely, how to cover demand peaks when there is no wind or sun. Storage is essential for a real energy transition and few countries are interested in it going well like China, which is the largest consumer of energy of the planet and world leader in renewable electricity production. Batteries are a growing solution, but pumped hydroelectric storage remains the technology with the highest cumulative installed capacity in the world and the most convenient to store large volumes of energy for hours. In figures. We have already glimpsed some of the overwhelming data of this mega-construction, but it leaves our jaws open: 2,100 MW of installed power, distributed among six reversible turbine-generators of 350 MW each. A quick comparison: Daofu represents almost 7% of all the wind power installed in the Spanish statebut concentrated in a single installation. 12.6 GWh of daily storage, which according to Xinhua meets the needs of two million households in Sichuan. 3 TWh of electricity generation per year, combining charge and discharge cycles. Between the upper and lower reservoir there is a difference in level of 760.7 meters, according to the construction company PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation. The project investment is 15.1 billion yuan (at current exchange rates, about 1.84 billion euros). What is it like to build at 4,300 meters. At that altitude, the air available to breathe can cause hypoxia (less oxygen available) and temperatures plummet beyond freezing, a challenge for both working personnel and machinery. On the other hand, building in such remote areas represents a logistical challenge in terms of a lack of infrastructure, something to take into account when moving heavy material such as steel or concrete. Or to manufacture it there. As Yu Chuntao, project director of the PowerChina project, explains, to Global Times“The design, construction and manufacturing of electrical equipment for the Daofu project is highly exploratory and challenging” and that the advances made there “will greatly boost the design and manufacturing of pumping station equipment in China.” In Xataka | China needed space to power millions of homes, so it installed 2,934 huge solar panels in the open sea In Xataka | Germany has had a crazy idea to solve one of the problems of renewables: covering a lake with solar panels Cover | CGTN

The Balearic Islands welcome an invasive plant that until now was impossible in its waters

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In October 2023, a group of divers were fully immersed in the Bay of La Palma when they found something that should not be there: a tropical marine plant rooted in the bed, where we usually find either sandy bottoms or Posidonia meadows. The notice from the Balearic Center for Applied Biology was confirmed through dives by the CSIC-UIB and CEAB-CSIC teams and the discovery was published in Mediterranean Marine Science. The presentations. The name of tropical marine plant is Halophila stipulacea and it is a seagrass and not an algae (unlike algae, it has roots, stems and leaves), much smaller than the native Posidonia Oceanica, with which it now shares spaces. And although it has appeared about 3 kilometers from the port of Palma, on a sandy bottom, it is foreign: its origin comes from the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, although as a good tropical came to the Caribbean. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was its one-way ticket to the Mediterranean, however in these 150 years its expansion was only recorded in the eastern area, never as far west as the Balearic Islands. It is already a total colonization. Context. The waters of the Mediterranean Sea are warming more than the global average: between 1982 and 2019, its surface temperature increased by 1.3 °C compared to a global average of 0.6 °C, according to MedECC data. In summer, the temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea recorded in the Balearic Islands They are around 30 °C. This point is important because it marks a milestone: the conditions of the Mediterranean are changing. That is, Halophila may have reached this far west before, but it did not have favorable conditions to survive and now it does. As explains Andrés Arona, first author of the study and Imedea researcher, is “a clear indication of the ‘tropicalization’ of the Mediterranean.” Why is it important. To begin with, because Halophila Stipulacea acts as a biological thermometer of real change in the Mediterranean. A tropicalization that opens the doors to some species and closes them to otherslike Posidonia or corals. But it also matters because the worrying precedent of the Caribbeanwhere its rapid colonization of large areas reduced biodiversity, altering the ecosystem. Something that is already happening in the eastern Mediterranean. Potential environmental impact. Given its presence in degraded sandy bottoms, its effect is ambivalent: it can increase structural complexity, although it can also displace the fauna typical of these bottoms. The greatest risk, however, would be if it came to compete with native phanerogams such as Posidonia oceanicasomething it has already done with other species in the Caribbean, where it colonized large areas in less than 20 years. The difference between both plants is not trivial. in words from Imedea researcher, Fiona Tomàs, “Posidonia is like a sequoia, Halophila is much smaller”: Posidonia generates a structural complexity that supports breeding habitats for hundreds of species and accumulates carbon in another order of magnitude. Halophila It does not generate anywhere near that architecture or that carbon storage. A change in species dominance would profoundly alter the ecosystem. What can be done. The good news is that this detection has been early and the sooner the warning comes, the more room there is to take action. The not so good thing is that it is a plant with its seeds and that the most definitive thing would be for the Mediterranean to reverse its tropicalization, but that means stopping the global warming. Little joke. In Xataka | The Ebro is filling with brown prawns, an invasive species that we are going to find more and more on our plates. In Xataka | The US has such a big problem with Asian carp in its rivers that it has decided something extreme: electrocute them Cover | Benjamin Guichard and Mariya Oliynyk

The legendary Renault plant in Valladolid is “reinvented” with an old acquaintance: the combustion engine

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The historical map of car factories in Spain is blurring with the evolution of the industry and the transition towards electrification, which has brought an unequal destiny for all of them: uncertain future of Ford in Almussafes to the Cupra bastion in Martorell. In the middle of the peninsula and emulating the village of Asterix and Obelix, an irreducible combustion engine factory that still resists: the Renault of Valladolid. But staying with the combustion engine does not mean staying stuck in the past: the historic Valladolid plant, which has such iconic models behind it as the Renault 4 CVpromises to continue writing history with Tilting Gravity Die Casting, the technique that changes how the heart of hybrid engines is manufactured. And Valladolid is the first factory in Spain to use it. New technology and more production. Horse Powertrain has invested 45 million euros at the Valladolid plant to install a head gasket manufacturing line using the Tilting Gravity Die Casting process, the first with this technology in the state. The new facility, which will occupy 3,500 square meters, will increase cylinder head manufacturing by 20% (from 300,000 to 360,000 units) and will require 150 new permanent jobs. Context. We are talking about the old Renault from Valladolid, but it has little of that 1953 Renault: today it is powered by Horse Powertrain, a joint venture formed by Renault 45%, Geely 45% and Aramco 10%. The formation is not coincidental: Geely provides the Chinese technological muscle, Renault its experience in the sector and the Saudi oil company is more than just financial muscle: it is interested in the combustion engine having the longest possible run. In Valladolid, Horse does not manufacture cars: it manufactures the hybrid E-Tech engines of the Captur, Symbioz, Clio, Austral and Rafale, the “heart” of a good part of the Renault range in Europe. And not only from Renault, but also from the group’s brands, which makes it strategic in that a single engine can end up in several different models. Why is it important. The bet is not minor: Valladolid is one of Horse Powertrain’s most strategic plants, which confirms that this is not a local experiment but a first-class industrial decision. The new technology allows engines to be manufactured with a more precise design and greater durability, something essential for hybrids, whose constant start-stop cycle subjects the components to greater thermal stress than a conventional engine. And the context justifies it: although almost one in five cars sold in Europe is already electric96% of those circulating they still have a non-plug-in motor. An inertia of more than 250 million vehicles that will not disappear in a decade. At a business level, the support is unquestionable. Its CEO highlighted that this investment “further demonstrates Valladolid’s leadership as a world-class automotive plant.” On the other hand, it is the first plant of this type in Spain and has been considered as a Priority Industrial Project by the Government of Castilla y León. What is Tilting Gravity Die Casting. Head gaskets are traditionally made of aluminum through a molding process, which leads to the possibility of air bubbles forming inside. And if there are bubbles, there will be microporosities and the structure will therefore be weaker. The TGDC solves this in a seemingly simple way: the aluminum no longer falls into the mold, but rather the mold is tilted so that it flows slowly and uniformly, thus minimizing turbulence and the risk of air. Bridging the distances, like when you pour beer into a glass. The result is a more homogeneous and structurally more integral piece that better withstands use and deterioration. In addition, this method requires less machinery and shortens production cycles. The push of Spain in the European industry. At the 2024 Paris motor show, then-Renault CEO recognized that the French unions were demanding the hybrid vehicle projects in Valladolid and Palencia due to the lack of demand for their electric models in the Douai and Maubege factories, however this latest movement is a complete “non, merci”: Spain not only does not give up production but also expands and modernizes it. Spain is the second state that manufactures the most vehicles in the old continent and this operation reinforces that position in the segment that endures the most: the hybrid. The question that remains in the air is whether De Meo’s successor will maintain the same commitment to Spanish plants in the face of French union pressure. Renault’s roadmap, which the brand plans to update soon, will give clues. In Xataka | Renault is a firm defender of the hybrid car and has its key factory in Valladolid. We have been there to know your future In Xataka | Given the tariffs on China, the CEO of Renault is clear who the European electric car should imitate: China Cover | Xataka

Delaying the closure of a single plant forces us to redesign the entire energy map of Spain

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Right in the middle of a relentless political and business battle to extend the life of the Spanish atomic park, the harsh reality of the market has imposed itself. While top executives discuss the long-term future, the present has hit the table: the owner of the Almaraz II nuclear power plant notified the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) of an unscheduled shutdown of its reactor and its decoupling from the electrical grid. The alarms did not go off due to a security problem. In fact, the incident was classified as level 0 (no significance for security) on the international INES scale, to which we have had access. The real reason was purely economic and motivated by causes related to the electricity market. As explained The Extremadura Newspaper, The recent succession of storms triggered renewable production —sinking electricity prices— which, added to an “unaffordable tax burden” that represents more than 75% of its variable costs, made it completely unfeasible to keep the reactor on. The recent pulse: from disconnection to extension This disconnection collides head-on with the intense corporate movements of recent weeks. At the end of October, Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy presented to the Executive a formal request to postpone until June 2030 the closure of Almaraz, whose two reactors were scheduled to be disconnected for 2027 and 2028. But the ambition of the sector does not stop in Cáceres. According to Five Daysthe president of Iberdrola, Ignacio Sánchez Galán, has confirmed that they will request the expansion of other plants in the future, ensuring that “most of them can reach 60 and even 80 years.” This position is supported by technical and logistical arguments from the industry. As detailed in The Economistthe CEO of Endesa, José Bogas, aspires to prolong “in round numbers about 10 more years” the entire Spanish nuclear park. Bogas argues that it does not make logistical sense to proceed with the complex dismantling of two groups of the same plant on different dates (2027 and 2028). Meanwhile, the CSN is already analyzing the documentation to issue its mandatory report, foreseeably in summer, as reported in a press release from the regulator itself. The possible extension of Almaraz has opened a huge gap between two irreconcilable visions of the energy transition. In the block of those who defend extending atomic life, economic and labor arguments set the pace. According to the statements of Ignacio Sánchez Galán collected by Vozpópulinuclear power plants are a key element in reducing the price of electricity. In fact, the president of Iberdrola recalls that European countries that lack this type of energy, such as Italy and Germany, pay “about 20 euros more” per megawatt hour for electricity compared to Spain and France. Added to this defense of competitiveness is the warning about the direct impact on the final consumer’s pocket. A recent report from the OBS Business School alert that if Almaraz closesthe inevitable dependence on gas would increase the electricity bill by around 23% for households – between 150 and 250 euros more per year – and up to 35% for industry. Beyond the receipt, there is the territorial factor. The College of Industrial Engineers, in statements to The Energy Newspaperremember that this plant not only generates 7% of the electricity in all of Spain, complying with the highest international safety standards (WANO 1), but is also a vital economic engine to sustain 4,000 direct and indirect jobs that stop depopulation in the region. However, against this position stands a solid wall of detractors who see the extension as an imminent danger for the green transition. A joint investigation by the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), prepared on behalf of Greenpeaceconcludes that extending Almaraz for just three years would mean “momentary relief, structural damage.” Researchers calculate that this decision would cost consumers a cumulative extra cost of 3,831 million euros between now and 2033 and would stop up to 26,129 million euros in investments destined for new clean energies. From Greenpeace they also point to the so-called “plug effect”: since nuclear is an inflexible technology that produces fixed gear regardless of demand, it often forces us to disconnect or waste renewable energy—free and clean—in times of high sun or wind. This situation generates a climate of enormous concern in the green sector. In an interview with InfoLibrePedro Fresco, general director of the Valencian renewable employer association Avaesen, warns that granting a “mini-extension” of three years would be the worst possible scenario. In his opinion, this movement would send a message of total uncertainty to investors, threatening to stop the development of future renewable projects in its tracks. The “Domino Effect”: rewriting the energy map The true background of this battle is that Almaraz is not an isolated piece. As several experts warn he Vigo Lighthouse and andl Newspaper of Extremaduradelaying the closure of the Cáceres plant would unleash an unstoppable “domino effect” throughout the national territory. If Almaraz is delayed to 2030, its closure would coincide in time with that of Ascó I (Tarragona) and Cofrentes (Valencia). The electricity companies assume that the Government would also have to postpone these closures to avoid overlapping the gigantic and complex work of dismantling four reactors simultaneously. This would also force the closures of Ascó II, Vandellós II and Trillo to be pushed well beyond 2035, blowing up the current National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). The final decision is in the hands of the Executive, which for the moment maintains its position. The Government has marked three non-negotiable red lines to accept any change: that it guarantees radiological safety, security of supply and, above all, that it does not cost consumers an extra euro or imply tax reductions for electricity companies. And this is where the circle closes. As Galán insists on Vozpópulithe plants bear an enormous tax burden of “30-35 euros per megawatt hour.” Without a tax reduction, electricity companies threaten economic viability; but without profitability, it is the market itself that, as … Read more

A plant was on the verge of extinction in the Mojave Desert. So they built a solar park on top

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The Mojave Desert is not only a paradise when it comes to filming movies, setting video games and name operating systems: It is also home to thousands of plant species that are accustomed to an extremely hostile climate. It is estimated that there are about 2,000 species and a very specific one is in danger of extinction. Until they decided to build one of the largest photovoltaic plants in the United States on top of it. The Gemini Solar Project. In short. The journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution revealed a few weeks ago the results of a curious study. The ‘threecorner milkvetch’ plant (which has a name for everything except a plant) went from 12 specimens in the Mojave Desert to 93. This plant was being evaluated for inclusion in the Endangered Species Act in the United States and not only has its number multiplied: the new plants are larger and produce more flowers. And they have “only” had to build one of the largest photovoltaic plants in America on top of it, next to Guanchoi in Chileto achieve it. Threecorner milkvetch. It is a creeping plant that has curious needs: it only grows in sandy soils of the Mojave Desert. However, it is dependent on rainfall because its seed remains dormant in the soil and only germinates and reproduces with favorable rainfall. In dry years, it remains completely unnoticed, waiting for a little rain. And it is so rare that the species remains under evaluation for status as threatened or endangered under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations. In the same desert there is another threatened species: the desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii. The habitat of the two species should be the last one on which it would be decided to build a photovoltaic plant, but there is the Gemini Solar Project. The plant Megaplant. When such an installation is to be carried out in the desert, a technique known as clearing and leveling is used. In essence, all vegetation is removed, the land is leveled and prepared for install the pillars of the solar panels. Not only is a lunar landscape created, but any type of latent seed beneath the surface, such as that of the threecorner milkvetch, is destroyed. However, the Gemini Solar Project’s approach was different. The company wanted the land because it is especially ‘fertile’ within the US to harvest sunlight, but concessions had to be made. One was to minimize the alteration of the habitat of both species to conserve the desert surface with all its biological resources, preserve the topsoil and adapt the facility to the natural relief. On the US Geological Survey website we can see photos of little turtles between the panels. Works. This is part of what we know as ‘ecovoltaics’, with a branch called ‘agrovoltaics’ that we have also talked about and that, although it can be used by companies as a facelift, it serves to unite energy activities with agricultural activities. In the study on the impact of the Gemini Solar Project and the evolution of the plant, researcher Tiffany Pereira discovered what we have mentioned: there were more plants and they were healthier. This showed that the energy company had done its part by not destroying the soil because the seeds had been able to germinate, but they found something else. The plants inside the installation evolved earlier than those outside it and grew not under the panels, but in the strips between the rows. This implies that they still need intense sunlight to mature. The yellow zone is where the Sun shines the most hours. The blue one is the stripe that varies depending on the position of the Sun. The red one is where direct light never shines. Okay, but then… what is the role of the panels in the improved evolution of these plants? The hypothesis used by the researchers is that the panels provide partial shade on the groundslowing down evaporation. We have already said that seeds are dormant until they have the necessary humidity conditions to germinate, and in this context, a more humid microclimate has allowed plants to grow more and produce more seeds. Not all the field is oregano. Now, like almost every scientific study, we look at the other side of the coin. The rainfall in recent years has been favorable and we will have to see what happens with periods of prolonged drought. In a few years we could talk about long-term effects. But, in addition, this absence of plants under the panels could indicate a possible loss of potential habitat in very humid years. In any case, Pereira’s study is not isolated. Other studies point to improvements in both the number of flowering plant species and pollinators in agrovoltaic installations in a state like Minnesota. AND in China there are also indicators that those photovoltaic plants in deserts is contributing to the moisture pocket construction in which plants can thrive more easily. As we said, it remains to be seen the impact of the panels on the creation of a “new” biodiversity in the long term, but for now, what is evident is that it is not necessary to raze land to build a photovoltaic plant. Images | DRI, Tiffany PereiraGemini Solar Project In Xatka | The biggest fiasco of solar energy is in the Nevada desert: it is useless and its promoter blames a Spanish company

China needed space to power millions of homes, so it built a mega solar plant in the open sea

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That China is building power plants As if there were no secret, it is not a secret. Without going any further, in the last four years it has been able to replicate the power of the United States, the largest electrical grid in the West. And a good part of the blame solar energy has it. In fact, in 2023 it installed more solar panels than the United States in all of history, as reported by Bloomberg. Solar energy requires space, so China is finding the most varied gaps, from the tibetan plateau to the open sea, where from the end of 2025 It is already connected to the electrical network a mega solar plant that breaks records. In China there are solar panels even in the soup. The largest offshore solar plant in the world. We are talking about the solar plant located off the coast of Kenli district in Dongying city, Shandong province. This engineering project is carried out by China Energy Investment Corporation (CHN Energy) and has a nominal capacity of 1 GW. As explains People’s Dailythe official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is China’s first gigawatt-level offshore photovoltaic project and currently the largest offshore solar installation in the world. This is what the Shandong plant looks like. Via: People’s Daily The context: why at sea. Because land space near its large coastal cities is a precious commodity. The Chinese government has a policy of red line to safeguard land used for agriculture and solve the line “Hu Huanyong Line“: while its great solar and wind potential is concentrated in the west, in the Gobi Desert and Inner Mongolia, the megacities and their most powerful industrial fabric are in the east. China is already developing parks of renewables in their deserts, but running Ultra High Voltage lines is very expensive, involves losses along the way and crosses complicated orography. The logical but technically infernal solution is to jump into the water. Until now, floating solar energy was limited to calm waters, such as what Germany is doing with its lakesbut China is another story. The open sea brings salt corrosion, typhoons and waves. Why is it important. Because China’s coastal provinces such as Shandong or Jiangsu constitute large centers of industrial consumption. Generating energy right there avoids those transportation losses of thousands of kilometers from the Gobi desert. If it works within the expected design parameters and the maintenance costs are affordable, it will be a good boost to take advantage of the coasts within the energy transition process from fossil to renewables. The panels are simply colossal. Via: X from People’s Daily A prodigious work of engineering. We are talking about an area of ​​more than 1,200 hectares where 2,934 enormous marine photovoltaic panels are located with standardized dimensions of 60 meters long and 35 meters wide. And they are not drifting panels: it is a large infrastructure designed to withstand extreme conditions ranging from storms to freezing water. In addition, it is hybridized: under the panels the project integrates fish farms, that is, producing electricity above and fish below. This type of combination is not new, as in Guizhou province there is a giant solar plant in whose basement mushrooms are grown. Shandong is aquavoltaic and Guizhou is agrivoltaic. Some numbers that make you dizzy. This installed power of 1 Gigawatt is similar to that of a modern nuclear reactor, so that according to estimates, it will be capable of producing 1,780 million kWh of energy that will be fed into the grid each year and thus supply 2.6 million homes in the region. approximately 60% of your demand. According to the estimates of the engineering company behind it, 1.3 million tons of carbon dioxide will no longer be emitted. In Xataka | Germany has had a crazy idea to solve one of the problems of renewables: covering a lake with solar panels In Xataka | The great myth of solar panels: producing them emits hundreds of times less than coal and gas Cover | People’s Daily

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