For more than two years, FC Barcelona has been carrying out a process of transformation, expansion and reorganisation of the electricity network on its Les Corts premises in order to cater for the Camp Nou’s energy needs, at the same time meeting all the latest safety standards and adapting to the needs of the future Espai Barça and its environs. The process was completed in late July with the installation of a new transformer at the ENDESA Facultats transformer station, which will begin operations at the end of the year.

The process has involved major changes that have improved the electricity supply to the club’s premises in the district of Les Corts and have resolved the problems and shortcomings that have been holding the venue back in recent years. The creation of new power sources, as well as the extension and restructuring of all the wiring in a ring around the inside of the stadium, has produced a kind of highway of not just electrical but also audio, fibre, public address and other cables, with the installation of the new transformer being the final step.

The outcome could be likened to a huge electric cathedral, unseen by visitors but which makes the Camp Nou, and in turn the future Espai Barça, a sports venue with one of the most powerful and safest electricity supply networks in the world, and which went live a year ago. Before this overhaul, the stadium was receiving 6 MW of electrical power, while the new facility means this amount can progressively, and according to needs, be expanded to 26 MW, effectively more than four times the power it had before.

The new transformer, which will be operational in a couple of months, is designed to supply the entire Les Corts campus, including the future Camp Nou, the new Palau Blaugrana, the new central and tertiary offices that will be built there, the underground car parks and the new developments in the surrounding area as defined by the Espai Barça project. Following on from the work that began months ago and was completed in September 2019 at the Camp Nou supply centre, which is located underground between accesses 7 and 9, improvements have been made to the exterior mains installations that have been further boosted by the presence of this new transformer that provides high to medium voltage electricity to the ENDESA Facultat electrical substation. This supply complements that of the ENDESA substation in Collblanc (near to Can Rigalt) so the club will now still have enough power even if there should be technical difficulties with either of the substations, while it can also draw on emergency generators in case of more widespread problems. It all makes for a much more powerful, safe and expandable energy supply than the stadium has had until now, and brings it in line with the finest new stadiums in the world.

Restructure and expansion of the electricity network

The migration to the new electricity network was carried out progressively, switching between the old and new systems to guarantee supply and deal with possible incidents involved in the process. From the supply centre on the club’s facilities, medium voltage electricity is distributed to four transformer stations located in each of the corners of the Camp Nou, and which serve approximately a quarter of the stadium.

This new transformer, when operational, means the club will receive energy in a more efficient and direct manner, tailored to its specific power production and consumption requirements. All of the work done in recent months to expand and improve the electricity network, both for when games are being played and when they are not, is further reassertion of the club’s commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency.