Red Eléctrica to set aside 20% of the Torrent substation plot in the municipality of Santa Eulària des Riu as archaeological reserve site

• In accordance with the ruling of the Heritage Commission issued today, 20% of the surface area of the plot will be dedicated to the conservation of the discovered remains.
• Red Eléctrica has invested over 700,000 euros in the archaeological works

IBIZA, 11-6-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Red Eléctrica will set aside 20% of the Torrent substation plot, in the municipality of Santa Eulària des Riu, as an archaeological reserve site, in order to keep the archaeological remains discovered inside the perimeter of the substation plot within a marked off area, facilitating their conservation and keeping them isolated from the facility. The archaeological remains, discovered during the construction of this facility will have a specific area of ​​4,500 square metres, in accordance with the measures included in the proposal made by the Company and approved today, June 6, by the ruling of the Historical Heritage Commission of the Consell de Ibiza.

The archaeological works carried out, such as surveys, marking off areas and excavations have been conducted under permanent coordination with the Education, Culture and Heritage area of the Consell de Ibiza and have led to the suspension of the construction of the substation for four months. The investment made by Red Eléctrica for these works has exceeded 700,000 euros. This investment finances these works as well as the forecasted works for the provision of materials for the conservation of the Archaeological remains, as well as for the isolation and fencing off of the archaeological reserve area.

Archaeological finds

The archaeological remains are located mainly in three areas, two of them within the substation plot and another just outside. In the first, the remains of a burial site of Byzantine origin (VI-VII centuries) have been documented, with a total of 18 tombs that follow a single line of construction oriented north to south. The tombs form three small groups that might correspond to family units or different timelines within the time period of the burial site.

In the second archaeological site, two periods of settlement were detected. On the one hand, a late-Punic rural settlement, dating from the mid-third century to the late first century BC was discovered. It is an area of about 1,200 m2 in which elements have been found that delimit the different zones and walls. On the other hand, in an area of ​​about 500 m2, the existence of traces of wine or oil production from the Byzantine era has been documented.

Finally, on the outside of the substation property, there is a section of a Roman aqueduct of the high-imperial era, with a width of 90 cm, and which retains some of its outer wall and the originally waterproofed inner channel.

According to the criteria adopted by the Heritage Commission, the remains of the aqueduct will be covered by a layer of geotextile, aggregate and soil, to facilitate its conservation and any subsequent research. In the case of the burial site, the remains will be documented and dismantled to be relocated to the ​​archaeological reserve area.

Torrent Substation

The Torrent substation (132 kV) is an especially important facility to ensure both the quality of the electricity supply and the demand on the island of Ibiza. Contemplated in the State Infrastructure Plan 2008-2016 for the Electricity and Gas Sector and in the Energy Master Plan for the Balearic Islands, its operation will contribute significantly to improving the meshing of the electricity transmission grid in Ibiza and, consequently, to increase the security and reliability of the electricity supply. In addition, the substation will be the connection point for the future Majorca-Ibiza link, as it will facilitate the voltage change between the supply of the submarine interconnection, at 132 kV, to the current voltage of the grid of Ibiza, which is at 66 kV. Lastly, the substation will provide the necessary capacity for future electricity transmission developments.

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