Ancient engineering echoes through the Inca city of Machu Picchu in the murmur of water flowing from the complex's sixteen fountains. This network once supplied agricultural terraces and met the daily needs of the inhabitants, who filled their aríbalos—the ceramic vessels used to carry water—there.
Far from merely designing complex irrigation and water supply networks, the Incas also built temples using granite blocks weighing tens of tonnes, perching them atop some of the highest mountains on the planet. Today, their descendants continue to use some of those resources, but they also require another element essential to our time: electricity. And ACCIONA is the driving force bringing it to those very same heights trodden by the earliest Incas in Peru.
The infrastructure of the Machu Picchu-Quencoro-Onocora-Tintaya transmission lines is, in its own way, another engineering triumph that the company is undertaking to reinforce the security, continuity, and expansion capacity of southern Peru’s electrical system.
The project requires erecting high-voltage towers in rugged terrain and at heights of dozens of metres, while maintaining a scrupulous respect for the ecological and archaeological wealth of the region, based on a close dialogue with its communities. This feature article explores the process, the challenges, and the positive impact that this project and other similar ones are already generating.
Transmission networks are the highways of energy, and this specific one extends over 330 kilometres—the distance between the vicinity of Machu Picchu and the high plateau of Tintaya. This route means rising from 2,000 metres above sea level to around 4,000 metres in the final stretches of the journey. Overcoming topographic obstacles in rugged areas, laying foundations, erecting high-voltage towers, building substations, and clearing access roads are all part and parcel of this engineering challenge. Added to this is the rainy season, which brings a temporary halt to construction work.
Furthermore, when building a project of this scale, one must consider how an electrified economy coexists with the archaeological and ecological legacy of the Andes mountain ranges. With this in mind, the company has engaged in an active dialogue with local communities to identify areas of cultural, social, or scenic value, working alongside archaeologists specialised in historical heritage. Surveying work makes it possible to identify and map out previously undiscovered heritage elements of special value, such as Inca trails and other pre-Hispanic vestiges. This is a task that is already familiar to ACCIONA, having already successfully integrated one of Spain’s most important Copper Age archaeological sites with a photovoltaic plant, fusing energy and memory.
From that starting point, the complex route of the transmission lines has been mapped out to transport energy while minimizing the environmental impact.
The infrastructure of the Machu Picchu-Quencoro-Onocora-Tintaya transmission lines is, in its own way, another engineering triumph […] This route means climbing from 2,000 metres above sea level to around 4,000 metres in the final stretches of the journey.
Yet even the most meticulous surveys and detailed plans count for nothing without actual boots on the ground. This is where the lineworkers truly come into their own: these professionals scale high-voltage towers, hoisted up to over 60 metres high, often in jungle environments, to carry out the pre-assembly, erection, and stringing of the high-voltage transmission towers.
As you might expect, specific physical, psychological, and training qualities are needed to perform this work. The Machu Picchu line alone will require between 2,000 and 3,000 workers, covering the specific tasks of the lineworkers as well as material transport, access roads, foundations, and work at the substations.
As part of the company's commitment to creating local employment—which accounts for the majority of the project's workforce—ACCIONA has launched the Lineworkers' School. This programme offers theoretical and practical training for local workers who wish to specialize in this field and join the construction of this transmission line.
Additionally, safety protocols have been developed, not only regarding regular duties but also for preventing accidents during gales and lightning storms. This includes installing storm detectors and setting up shelters to weather the elements.
When ACCIONA undertakes an infrastructure project, it strives to go beyond corporate profit. From the very beginning, the goal is to work alongside local communities to identify and drive initiatives that enhance their socio-economic development. The transmission lines being installed in Peru will bring power to thousands of homes and improve the lives of as many families, both through the electricity consumed and the communal use of the facility access roads. However, this energy transition also goes hand in hand with social transformation. This is where training activities can have a multiplier effect.
Among ACCIONA’s various initiatives in this regard are agricultural and forestry training courses to improve land productivity while remaining firmly committed to environmental responsibility, alongside health awareness campaigns in schools and universities, and local recycling programmes. This effort has reached thousands of students and families in educational and community centres, providing them with the right tools to build their own future.
The Machu Picchu-Quencoro-Onocora-Tintaya line is part of a much broader vision: contributing to the electrification of Peru within a framework of eight other projects (in addition to this one). Some are already operational, such as the one in Tumbes; others are under construction, like Reque-Nueva Carhuaquero and Atipaq; and others are in development, such as Ica-Poroma, Jaen-Caclic, or the hubs of Poroma, San José, and Marcona.
Peru brings together three distinct ecosystems within the same territory: the coast, the highlands, and the rainforest. Building and operating infrastructure in such a diverse place demands resilience alongside technical excellence. Each region poses specific challenges. For instance, on the coast, salinity and high winds batter materials; in the highlands, extreme cold and high altitudes hinder equipment access; while in the rainforest, constant rainfall and aggressive vegetation complicate travel and execution. Coupled with this are the El Niño and La Niña phenomena, which can trigger flash floods or landslides that halt work for weeks.
The main challenge of the project does not lie solely in overcoming geographical obstacles and completing the construction of the infrastructure, but in ensuring its sustainable, long-term integration into a territory with high environmental, social, and heritage complexity. This implies not only maintaining the highest technical standards in its operation and maintenance, but also sustaining responsible community relations management, environmental and archaeological compliance, and continuous coordination with authorities.
Ultimately, this means consolidating a reliable and strategic infrastructure for the electrical system of southern Peru, capable of supporting future demand growth and the expanding renewable generation in the country, while remaining sensitive to the unique value of the land on which it is built.
The main challenge of the project does not lie solely in overcoming geographical obstacles […], but ensuring a sustainable, long-term integration into a region of immense environmental, social, and cultural heritage complexity.
But why does all this matter? Here, we need to look at the bigger picture to understand the global electrification context. Factors such as electric mobility or the energy consumption of data centres are exponentially multiplying electricity generation needs. And that generation requires substations and networks to reach, stably and reliably, wherever energy is required. Thus, ACCIONA’s work on transmission lines is simply the natural extension of a journey spanning more than twenty years in the field of renewable energy, closing the loop between generation and distribution.
Naturally, developing this vital infrastructure relies on an unyielding respect for the social, historical, and environmental fabric of the areas we serve. And that brings us back to the beginning: in a way, the roadmap for our transmission lines was already laid down by the ancient Incas who built Machu Picchu: sustainability, integration with the land, and an eye fixed firmly on the generations to come.