Modelling a Decarbonization Agenda for Bembibre’s Industrial Park

Abstract

The design of the Sustainable Strategy Agenda for the Bembibre industrial zone in the Bierzo region employing the Open-Source Energy Modeling System (OSeMOSYS) is presented. This municipality, which has been affected by the collapse of the coal mining industry, is at the epicentre of the reindustrialization and Just Transition (none left behind) initiatives of the Spanish government. Among the challenges to be tackled are the zone's entire decarbonization by 2030, the incorporation of circular economy initiatives, and the development of quality jobs that attract and retain new residents. To facilitate decision-making, different roadmaps have been evaluated, including the repurposing of an old coal mine galley as a reverse hydro storage system, the deployment of enterprises dedicated to the recycling of solar panels, and the incorporation of second-life batteries from electric vehicles as energy storage. Among the scenarios evaluated, the most complex turns out to be the most interesting. With an initial outlay of 190 M€, it incorporates a 210 MW photovoltaic park linked to a mixed storage system comprised of 0.25 GWh of reverse hydraulic systems and 68MWh of second life reconditioned batteries. About 850 jobs in the implementation stage and 70 more permanent in the exploitation phase are envisaged.