Press office

Press office


Red Eléctrica reconnects the Vic-Juià line

The electricity transmission grid in Gerona completely re-established

Today at 18:22, the 220 kilovolt (kV) electricity line which runs between Vic (Barcelona) and Juià (Gerona) was reconnected after suffering a disconnection yesterday at 16:53 due to strong winds and blizzards which lashed Catallonia.

Due to the climatological conditions, Red Eléctrica operators, accompanied and supported throughout the night by the Mossos d´Escuadra (autonomous police force of Catalonia), were unable to reach the affected zone yesterday, making it impossible to determine the exact state of the line, therefore in order to prevent possible risks to the public, the line was not connected.

At 8:30 today, Red Eléctrica teams were at last able to fly over the affected line by helicopter and assess the damage. Once the inspection was completed, it was confirmed that no towers had come down, although they had damage which affected the grounding cables and some of the structures which support them. Damage was located at three separate points along the line, which caused the short circuit and subsequent disconnection. Damage occurred in these areas was due to the accumulation of ice on the grounding cable.

Following the evaluation, the company's technical experts worked simultaneously in the three affected areas, which they reached by helicopter, in order to repair the damage as soon as possible. At 18:22, one of the two 220 kV circuits of the line was put back in service, bringing back on line all the transmission grid substations in the area. Red Eléctrica mobilised all their personnel, not only in Catalonia but also in Aragon, who had been working in the area since the previous afternoon, and counted on the invaluable assistance of the Mossos d'Escuadra, and on the availability of the Military Emergency Unit which, in the end, was not required.

The precariousness of the Gerona electricity system, which does not have a meshed network, until the transmission grid, currently under construction, is completed, means that under extreme conditions it is not possible to respond to its electricity requirements.

Once the works to re-establish the line within transmission grid were finished, Red Eléctrica put itself at the full disposal of the distribution company to collaborate in the works necessary for the complete reestablishment of the electricity supply.