Plans to strengthen the Costa del Sol’s electricity network have taken an important step forward after a new €17.1 million substation in Mijas was granted its building licence.
The Ventilla substation, planned for the Rincón del Hinojal area of Mijas, is designed to provide an additional supply point for the electricity distribution network serving the western Costa del Sol, where available capacity has become an increasing concern as the population, housing developments and local economy continue to grow.
Mijas Town Hall granted the building licence at the beginning of September following favourable environmental processing by the Junta de Andalucía. The main outstanding administrative step is now the Declaration of Public Utility for the land affected by the project.
Promoted by e-Distribución, Endesa’s electricity distribution company, the project will create a new 220/66 kV transformer substation at a cost of €17.1 million.
According to the Junta de Andalucía, the additional infrastructure should improve the quality and security of the electricity supply while increasing the network’s capacity to accommodate new connections, businesses and residential developments.
The project has been designated strategically important by the regional government and included in the Junta’s Unidad Aceleradora de Proyectos, which is intended to help coordinate and speed up the administrative procedures required for major investments.
Growing pressure on the Costa del Sol network
Although the new substation will be located in Mijas, the issue has implications across the Costa del Sol.
Electricity capacity has increasingly become a constraint on development in parts of Málaga province. Recent analysis has highlighted problems affecting proposed residential developments in areas including Estepona, Marbella and Mijas Costa/Fuengirola, where insufficient available capacity can delay projects or require additional investment in the network.
Other projects are already attempting to address the problem. A new substation in San Pedro Alcántara came into operation earlier this year, providing additional capacity for western Marbella and future residential and business development.
Meanwhile, a 220 kV substation in Benahavís has faced years of delays despite most of the infrastructure having been completed. Problems surrounding the installation of two remaining electricity pylons have prevented it from being fully connected to the network.
Estepona Town Hall has also begun procedures for a further substation close to the town’s industrial estate, intended to anticipate future electricity requirements as the municipality’s population and urban development continue to expand.
For residents, the issue is not necessarily about an immediate shortage of electricity. Instead, increasing the capacity and resilience of the network is becoming essential if the Costa del Sol is to accommodate continued population growth, new housing, businesses and infrastructure without electricity supply becoming a bottleneck.
Even once all the necessary approvals for Ventilla have been obtained, the new substation is not expected to be operational quickly. In the most favourable scenario, construction and commissioning are expected to take at least a year and a half.
