The entire western Costa del Sol came dangerously close to a widespread blackout during this summer’s Benahavis wildfire, it has emerged.
According to reports, only one of the three Red Electrica substations intended to support the region is currently operating.
A second facility in Benahavis has been almost complete for seven years but remains disconnected while authorities await a ruling from the High Court of Justice of Andalucia (TSJA).
The precariousness of the system was exposed when a fire in Benahavis threatened the electricity network during the summer.
Manuel Larrasa, Andalucia’s commissioner for electrification, said the network was effectively left ‘on a limb’, meaning the entire area was dependent on the one Costasol substation.
If that facility had been disconnected because of the fire, municipalities across the Costa del Sol could have been left without power.
‘The whole coast could have been left without electricity because of the fire,’ Larrasa said during a forum organised by Malaga Hoy.
He described the situation as absurd and said a special summer contingency plan was required simply to prevent a blackout on one of Spain’s most heavily populated and visited coastlines.
Felix Romero, president of the Western Costa del Sol Association of Municipalities, joked that the warning was ‘the best news I haven’t been given’.
He added that the news local leaders actually wanted to receive was confirmation that the coast finally had a high-quality and resilient electricity network.
Benahavis substation trapped in legal dispute
The Benahavis substation was designed to remove the region’s dependence on a single facility and provide essential backup capacity.
Although the installation is around 96% complete, it cannot be connected until two remaining electricity pylons are installed.
Work has been held up by a long-running legal dispute relating to access to the land and an appeal concerning an environmental classification.
Larrasa said the Junta de Andalucia is waiting for judicial permission to enter the affected plot alongside state security forces so the final infrastructure can be installed.
Spain’s Supreme Court recently issued a ruling favourable to Red Electrica that could prove decisive in resolving the dispute.
The TSJA must now deliver its own decision before the administration can enter the land and complete the connection.
Once permission is granted, officials believe the remaining work could be completed within months.
Bringing the Benahavis facility online would provide a second supply route and relieve what officials describe as a critical vulnerability in the Costa del Sol’s electricity network.
Only functioning substation
The Costasol facility is currently the only one of the three major transmission substations serving the western Costa del Sol that is operational.
However, its location exposes it to high temperatures and the threat of wildfires.
Technical sources warned that if it had to be disconnected for safety reasons, restoring the supply could take weeks.
The facility also cannot be expanded, limiting its ability to accommodate continued population growth, new housing developments and rising electricity demand.
The warning comes amid wider concern that Malaga province’s electricity infrastructure is failing to keep pace with its rapid development.
The national government’s proposed electricity plan to 2030 includes two new substations in the province- one in Malaga city and another in Antequera – as well as an expansion of the existing facility in Cartama.
The Malaga installation would support residential growth and the electrification of the port, while the Antequera project would serve the planned dry port and surrounding logistics developments.
