FEDA voids Riu Runer substation tender to meet EIB financing rules

Forces Elèctriques d’Andorra (FEDA) has declared the tender for the construction of the Riu Runer Transformer and Distribution Station (ETR) void in order to reformulate the tender specifications and align them with the requirements of the European Investment Bank (EIB). The change aims to allow the project to qualify for EIB financing. FEDA plans to reopen the procurement process in 2026.

The ETR will be the substation receiving power from a new high-voltage line connecting Andorra to Spain, a link that will double the country’s electricity import capacity. FEDA describes the infrastructure as essential to Andorra’s electrification and decarbonisation efforts amid rising demand and growth in electric mobility, sustainable heating and renewable generation. Strengthening interconnections is presented as necessary to secure supply and meet the government’s carbon neutrality target for 2030.

To be eligible for EIB support, the tender documents must be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and on the EIB’s portal. Companies bidding will be required to commit to the bank’s integrity, social and environmental standards.

The decision to reformulate the tender follows a visit by an EIB delegation in July 2024, during which the bank reviewed several of FEDA’s strategic projects, including the new interconnection with Spain, the Riu Runer ETR, the expansion of FEDA Ecoterm and the Pic del Maià wind farm.