Es Murterar puts an end to electricity production with coal in Mallorca

PalmaThe Es Murterar thermal power plant in Alcúdia will stop producing electricity with coal after Endesa received authorization to permanently close units 3 and 4. These are the last two units of this technology that remained operational on Mallorca, meaning that the closure brings an end to coal-fired electricity generation on the island.

The closure, announced by the company in a statement, does not mean the end of all activity at the plant. Es Murterar will keep two gas turbines in operation with a combined capacity of 75 megawatts (MW).

For Endesa, the closure also represents the end of the use of coal across its entire generation fleet, following the shutdown of the plants it still operated on the Peninsula. The company considers that the decision marks a new chapter in the energy history of the Balearic Islands.

The units have reached the end of their useful life

The closure affects two units that, according to Endesa, have reached the end of their useful life. Before authorizing their shutdown, the electricity system operator issued a favorable report, considering that the removal of the units does not jeopardize the security of supply.

The process will include the disconnection of the two units from the electricity grid and subsequent dismantling. Endesa asserts that the work will be carried out in accordance with circular economy and sustainability criteria.

The company also plans specialized training actions to facilitate the participation of local labor in the dismantling tasks and to foster economic activity associated with this phase.

A new use for Es Murterar

The closure of the coal-fired units does not imply that Es Murterar will cease to have an energy function. Endesa plans to progressively transform the site to adapt it to the future needs of the Balearic Islands' electrical system.

Among the possibilities it is considering are the installation of new renewable capacity, electrical storage systems, and other technologies that contribute to strengthening the system's security and responsiveness. However, the company has not specified a schedule for executing these projects in the statement.

Currently, Endesa has five solar photovoltaic plants in operation in the Balearic Islands, all in Mallorca: sa Caseta, in Llucmajor; Nou Biniatria and Ca na Lloreta, in Alcúdia, and Son Reus and Son Orlandis, in Palma. The Goleta-Xalana photovoltaic cluster, projected in Santanyí, will be added to these facilities.

The challenge of guaranteeing the supply

The transition towards renewable energy also poses the challenge of ensuring the stability of the island's electrical system. Solar and wind production depends on weather conditions, while the system needs to have generation capacity available when demand requires it.

In this context, Endesa points out that the combined cycle power plants of Son Reus and Cas Tresorer, the gas turbines of Alcúdia, and the power plants of Ibiza and Mahón will continue to provide dispatchable energy to the Balearic system.

With the closure of the last two coal-fired units, Es Murterar thus begins a new stage. The transformation of the site and the incorporation of new energy technologies will mark the future of a facility that for decades has been linked to coal-fired electricity production in Mallorca.