Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain visited today the Control Centre of Red Eléctrica de España (CECOEL) to know first hand the work that the company, the sole transmission agent and operator of the Spanish electricity system, carries out to guarantee the electricity supply to all homes and essential services in our country at all times.

CECOEL, considered the brain of the national electricity system, is the centre from which this system is operated and supervised in real time and where, among many other things, coverage of electricity demand is programmed. In addition, it monitors the status of the transmission grid through the company's telecommunications network, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to ensure that electricity reaches every corner of Spain, a task that is now even more important.

Accompanied by the company's Chairwoman and the Chief Executive Officer, Beatriz Corredor, and Roberto García Merino, by the Fourth Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, the Councillor of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid, María Eugenia Carballedo, the Mayor of Alcobendas, Rafael Sánchez Acera and the General Manager of System Operation Division of Red Eléctrica, Miguel Duvison, the King and Queen greeted the operators of the centre and knew, among other things, about the effects of the pandemic on the demand for electricity and the energy mix. Thus, while demand has fallen by up to 20% during the confinement, the energy mix has stood out due to a notable increase in the share of renewable energies, reaching 49.4% and 47.9% in the months of March and April, respectively. In this context, solar PV has enjoyed the greatest prominence, achieving the highest monthly share in its history.

"We are deeply grateful for the visit, which brings with it their Majesties' recognition of an essential public service such as electricity supply, the importance of critical infrastructures for the country and the proper functioning of the national electricity system, especially in these hard times for everyone, where the work of teams such as our operators has become, if possible, more fundamental than ever," said Beatriz Corredor, Chairwoman of the company.

The CECOEL is one of the two national control centres that Red Eléctrica has, and to which a third has been added since last March, as an additional measure and to further ensure redundancy in order to guarantee, as always, the security of the electricity supply. The three centres operate with autonomous and independent equipment, observing all the health and hygiene and security measures indicated by the health authorities.