The tunnel that will bury the A5 will generate thermal energy for the surrounding buildings.

Madrid, (EFEverde).- The future tunnel, which will cover almost four kilometers and bury the exit from Madrid via the A5, will allow the stable temperature of the subsoil to be used to provide air conditioning and hot water with green renewable energy to the infrastructure itself and to buildings on the surface.

Along its nearly four kilometers, the tunnel will improve mobility and provide thermal energy to the surrounding area. This is renewable, local, distributed, and carbon dioxide-free energy, according to the Madrid Subterra organization, the promoters of the initiative.

The initiative was presented at the recent conference "Madrid generates clean energy: thermal activation of the tunnel under the A5 highway," organized by the Madrid Subterra association with the support of Madrid City Council. This event brought together around fifty industry professionals and was inaugurated by María José Aparicio, the council's general coordinator for mobility.

In the project to bury the A5 (Paseo Verde del Suroeste), the infrastructure slab will be thermoactivated (a still emerging technique), making it possible to install a heating power of 30 watts per square meter. This will benefit facilities such as the Ángel González Municipal Library and will ensure that the thermal energy from the subsoil can reach more buildings.

For its part, Madrid City Council has expressed its desire to continue projects like this one, which will allow the use of underground energy in other civil engineering projects in the city of Madrid.

The project

This is a proposal from Madrid Subterra to the Madrid City Council, a project that has received advice from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Ignacio González Tejada, a professor at the UPM School of Civil Engineering, emphasized the uniqueness of the project, as he noted there is no other tunnel in Europe with such a thermoactivated surface.

José Osuna, vice-dean of the Madrid College of Civil Engineers, also spoke, emphasizing the need to continue promoting projects like this. He also emphasized the importance of the involvement of various stakeholders and of "someone providing the impetus," referring to Madrid Subterra.

Madrid Subterra emphasizes the need for funding to continue developing its work. The president of Madrid Subterra, Javier Sanz, highlighted the association's progress over its more than a decade of existence. He also called on the business community to join: "Without adequate funding, our activity and all the assets generated are at risk of disappearing."

Currently, Madrid Subterra—created in 2014 as a public-private initiative—is supported by the City Council and the Community of Madrid, as well as entities such as the Madrid Metro, Canal de Isabel II, the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and the College of Civil Engineers. Currently, no private company is part of the association.

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