News

14.12.2022

Skateboarding down the La Magdalena wind farm

  • Iberdrola has challenged the Spanish rider Alejandra Cardenas, one of the best downhill riders in the world, to cross at full speed this spectacular wind farm in Burgos, a pioneer in the province with a gradient of up to 20% at some points.
  • During this challenge, Alejandra reached up to 70km/h, demonstrating great control thanks to her experience of more than 20 years on the board. 

Iberdrola has challenged Spanish rider Alejandra Cárdenas, one of the best downhill riders in the world, to cross at full speed one of its pioneering wind farms in Castilla y León, specifically in the province of Burgos, - La Magdalena - whose wind turbines rise up to 55 metres, with a gradient of up to 20% at some points.

During this challenge, Alejandra reached up to 70km/h, demonstrating great control thanks to her experience of more than 20 years on the board.

The video of this descent accumulated tens of thousands of likes on Iberdrola's profiles on the social networks Tiktok; Instagram; Linkedin; Youtube; Facebook and Twitter.

Downhill is, as its name suggests, a modality that consists of descending a mountain at full speed, in this case on a skateboard. Unlike other vehicles, these skateboarders brake by skidding on the curves, defying the laws of physics and crossing the board at 90 degrees, in such a way that they manage to lose speed and even brake in a matter of seconds.

Alejandra is one of the few women in Spain who practises this sport and has travelled all over the world to be able to skate, winning several championships. It is a sport that until now has been known by very few, but which is beginning to gain momentum thanks to the triumphs of Spanish athletes, such as the recent world champion, Diego Poncelet.

The Iberdrola group has been promoting women's sport since 2016. Currently in Spain, its support reaches 600,000 women, more than 100 competitions and 32 federations, including skating, to which Alejandra Cárdenas belongs.

In 2004, Iberdrola commissioned the La Magdalena wind farm in the province of Burgos, in the Merindad de Valdeporres, comprising 28 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 23.8 MW, whose average annual production enables it to supply clean energy to a population equivalent of more than 13,000 homes.

A new energy landscape that fixes population in rural areas

Iberdrola promotes renewable energies as an engine for rural development and in this way the villages emerge as a guarantee for the future. This is the case of the villages of Castile and Leon, surrounded by wind farms and photovoltaic plants that Iberdrola is promoting and which will contribute to a sustainable recovery, allowing the creation of local employment.

Iberdrola has begun construction of the Valdemoro and Buniel wind farms, the latter with the world's most powerful onshore wind turbines manufactured by Siemens Gamesa - the first 5.X platform equipment in Spain. In the province of Burgos alone, it has recently built or is developing more than 550 megawatts between seven wind farms.