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02/09/2019Iberdrola and the Sustainable Excellence Club announce the 3rd International Energy Cooperation Awards Iberdrola and the Sustainable Excellence Club have announced the 3rd International Energy Cooperation Awards. These awards recognise the most outstanding initiatives in international energy cooperation, carried out by companies, public administrations and the tertiary sector, which demonstrate an active commitment to the universalisation of energy. Hence this contributes to achieving the 7th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) under the UN 2030 Agenda, in particular goal 7.1, which aims at achieving universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy services. The 3rd International Energy Cooperation Awards seek to draw attention to the activities carried out by the three groups mentioned which are in the development phase when submitted and which will be implemented on an international scale, with measurable results and which have taken into account the three aspects of energy co-operation: economic, social and environmental. Projects which, as specified by the UN in SDG 7: * Enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and advanced and cleaner fossil fuel technologies, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technologies. * Expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, particularly least developed countries and small developing island states with their respective support programmes. The deadline for receipt of applications, already in force, will end on 7 October. The rules and access to the competition forms are available on the Sustainability Excellence Club website and from the following link: Rules and Forms The Award An award will be granted to the winner of each of the three categories category - private, public administration and the tertiary sector-, which will be delivered during a public event to be held during the last quarter of the year, at which time the jury's decision will be known. Assessment of the applications will be carried out by a jury of renowned corporate and institutional experts in the field, who will take into account the impact and the value creation of each initiative; the project’s contribution to sustainable development; consistency and long-term duration; replicability of its model; innovative character; international scope; and the existence of clear objectives and monitoring indicators. Earlier awards More than fifty projects have been evaluated in previous editions of the awards. In 2017, the winners were Trama TechnoAmbiental, in the Company category, for its project ‘Rural electrification through hybrid solar microgrids in remote islands of Ghana’; the Instituto Nacional de Eficiencia Energética y Energías Renovables de Ecuador (INER) in the Public Administration category, for its contribution to the ‘Viability of bioethanol production from the enzymatic hydrolysis of the seed shell of Jatropha Curcas’ known as physic nut, and Nexus for Development, in the tertiary sector, for the 'Pioneer Facility' project which provides technical assistance and innovative financial solutions for project developers and social enterprises with the creation of a specific impact investment fund -Pioneer Facility- aimed at access to clean energy in Southeast Asia. At the first edition (2015), the jury rewarded projects by Suma Capital which, together with AttijariWafa Bank, are responsible for the African Energy Efficiency Fund in Companies; the “Renewable energies for the sustainable development in rural communities and energy generation distribution in Latin America and the Caribbean” by Ciemat in the Public Administration category, and the Fundación Ingenieros de ICAI para el Desarrollo, a non-profit organisation, for its project ‘Renewable Energy Centre in Cameroon’. READ MORE
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28/08/2019Iberdrola has started installing wind turbines on the El Pradillo wind farm Iberdrola is making progress with the construction of the El Pradillo wind farm complex (23 MW), where it has just started installing the first wind turbines. The facility is located in the municipal areas of Frescano, Borja and Agón in Zaragoza, Aragón. The wind turbines will be fully installed within the next two months. The wind farm is made up of a total of 6 Siemens Gamesa G132 wine turbines, with 3.4 MW unit capacity and one SG114 2.1 MW wind turbine. The wind turbine components - towers, blades, nacelles/hubs, generators, multiplier and transformers - have been manufactured in Spain at plants in Zaragoza, Navarra, Gijón, Soria, Cantabria and Burgos. The project, developed in conjunction with Caja Rural de Navarra, represents an investment of €26 million and is expected to enter into service at the end of this year. The production generated by El Pradillo will provide clean energy to the equivalent of 10,500 homes/year and prevent the emission of 17,300 tonnes of CO2 a year. More investment to lead the energy transition in Spain With El Pradillo, Iberdrola is strengthening its commitment to renewables in Aragon, where it operates more than 320 MW of wind and hydroelectric electricity. El Pradillo is part of a clean energy relaunch plan designed by Iberdrola in Spain, whereby the company expects to install an additional 3,000 MW by 2022 and up to 10,000 new MW by 2030. The plan will create jobs for 20,000 people in Spain. Iberdrola is the most prolific producer of wind energy in Spain, with installed power of 5,770 MW, while its total installed renewable capacity, including both wind and hydroelectric, is 15,828 MW. Globally, Iberdrola's installed renewable capacity comes to over 30,362 MW, which makes its generation fleet one of the cleanest in the energy sector. READ MORE
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12/08/2019Iberdrola sells 40% of East Anglia One to GIG, the entire wind farm is valued at £4.1 billion Iberdrola has entered into an agreement with Green Investment Group (GIG), part of the Macquarie group, to sell a 40% share in East Anglia One (EAO) , the offshore wind project that the company is building in the British North Sea. This will bring a new shareholder into the project, of which Iberdrola will maintain a 60% majority shareholding. According to transaction terms and conditions the entire value of EAO amounts to £4.1 billion and when the wind farm is operational in 2020, Iberdrola will receive £1.63 billion (about €1.75 billion [1] ) for the 40% stake. These funds will be allocated to the Group’s organic growth plans referred to in the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. The completion of the transaction is subject to the standard authorisation from the Crown Estate. EAO is the largest renewable project ever undertaken by a Spanish company. Once commissioned in 2020, it will be one of the world’s largest wind farms, with an installed capacity of 714 MW, supplying 600,000 British homes with clean energy. Iberdrola, steadfast commitment to offshore wind power Over the next few years offshore wind will be an investment focus for Iberdrola, developing a project portfolio of over 10,000 MW. This growth focuses on three main areas: the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the United States. Clean power generated by offshore wind farms is a cornerstone of the company's strategy, which expects to allocate 39% of the €34 billion earmarked for the 2018-2022 period to renewable energy: €13.26 billion. The group is currently operating two offshore wind farms: West of Duddon Sands, which went into service in the Irish Sea in 2014, and Wikinger, in the German waters of the Baltic Sea, which has been operational since December 2017. Iberdrola is in the process of building the biggest offshore wind farm in the United States: Vineyard Wind. Just off the coast of Massachusetts, it will produce 800 MW of power to cover the energy needs of a million homes. In Germany, in April, the company was awarded contracts to build two new plants in the Baltic Sea, which will produce a total of 486 MW: Baltic Eagle and Wikinger Süd. In addition to these new plants, the Sant Brieuc wind farm, which is located in French waters, is scheduled to be commissioned in 2022. It will have 496 MW of installed power and will be located just off the coast of French Brittany, 20 kilometres offshore. Once these projects are operating in late 2022, the company will have installed 2,000 MW of offshore wind power, after which it will add a further 1,000 MW. Iberdrola is committed to growing its renewable energy business. Globally countries have ambitious objectives for new wind generation facilities. The UK is seeking to develop 30,000 MW of offshore wind, and the United States is developing 25,000 MW. [1] Exchange rate: 1 sterling pound= EUR 1.07735 READ MORE
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07/08/2019Iberdrola is entering the solar market in Portugal by building 149 megawatts Iberdrola has been awarded 149 MW of photovoltaic solar power in Portugal, which the company will use to start developing this type of technology in the country. This capacity is divided between two regions (the Algarve and the Tajo Valley), under a public auction by the Portuguese Ministry of the Environment and Energy Transition through the General Directorate of Energy and Geology and organised by Operador do Mercado Ibérico de Energia (OMIP). Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galán said, after learning of the outcome of the biggest auction in the Portuguese energy sector in the last decade: ““These new projects are an example of Iberdrola’s commitment to renewable energy sources as a way of contributing to the transition toward a decarbonised Europe”. In this regard, Iberdrola has once again ratified its strong commitment to the transition toward a low carbon economy while consolidating its crucial role in the Portuguese energy market, where it is already leading the large consumer commercial sector with an almost 33% market share and a portfolio consisting of 300,000 electricity and natural gas customers[1] . The group is also making progress with thelarge-scale Támega project that consists of building three new plants (Gouvães, Daivões and Alto Támega), with total capacity of 1.158 MW and an investment in excess of 1,500 million euros. This important project is expected to be commissioned between 2021 and 2023, and will increase the companies installed power by 6%. It will be capable of supplying clean energy to 440,000 Portuguese homes. With the development of the Támega plant and the new solar capacity awarded, Iberdrola, which has succeeded in reducing its emissions in Europe by 75% since the year 2000, contributes to Portugal’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Iberdrola, an important component of Portugal's energy sector Iberdrola started operating in Portugal in 2002, and made its first supply in 2003. In parallel to the energy deregulation process in the country, the company entered the residential and small business sector in 2013 and later, in 2017, it started selling natural gas. Nowadays[2] , Iberdrola has the third-largest share by number of electricity customers in the country (5.4%) and is the second largest by consumption (17.4%). Iberdrola has taken its unique focus and its commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment to the Portuguese market, marketing 100% green electricity to its customers. As well as leading the large consumer sector and developing the enormous Támega complex, Iberdrola has 92 MW of wind power in the country, distributed among three wind farms. Catefica, in the municipal area of Torres Vedras, with 18 MW; Alto do Monção, in Mortágua and Tondela, with 32 MW; and Serra do Alvão, in Ribeira de Pena, with 42 MW. Driving renewables in Europe Beyond Spain and Portugal, Iberdrola is the driving force behind numerous renewable projects in Europe. In the United Kingdom, through ScottishPower Renewables, it operates 40 onshore wind arms and the company's first offshore wind farm, West of Duddon Sands. It is currently developing East Anglia One in the Irish Sea, that will go live in 2020, establishing Iberdrola as the undisputed global leader in offshore wind power. The company also operates in other countries in continental Europe such as Germany, where it operates the Winkinger wind farm in the Baltic and is planning an offshore facility in Saint Brieuc. The company is also building two new wind farms in Greece [1] Figures at the start of 2019. [2] Based on data published by the regulator in March. READ MORE
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31/07/2019Iberdrola strengthens its commitment to women’s football for the next six seasons Iberdrola has renewed its commitment to women’s football through the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and will redouble its support for all competitions of this sport for the next six seasons, until 2024-25. To coincide with the draw for the matches in the coming 2019-20 season, which will start on 8 September, the company has announced that it will give its name to women’s sports top competition, which will be renamed Primera Iberdrola; and the second division, which is now called Reto Iberdrola, as well as sponsoring the Queen’s Cup and the Spanish Super Cup. This is the company’s way of showing its commitment to all categories of women’s football. The chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, highlighted the company’s role as “the leading advocate of women's sport” and reiterated his “commitment to keep working for equality by promoting sport for women”. The Primera Iberdrola will kick off with some new additions, among which are the addition of a fourth referee and the obligation for clubs to have at least three grassroots football teams. The RFEF agreement comes days after the company reaffirmed its commitment to the Women’s Universe Programme from the Higher Sports Council (CSD). Iberdrola and women’s sport, in figures In 2016, Iberdrola became the first company to make a global commitment to encouraging women’s participation in sport as a way of driving equal opportunities. The company currently supports 16 federations: gymnastics, triathlon, rugby, canoeing, badminton, football, handball, volleyball, hockey, table tennis, athletics, karate, boxing, surfing, ice sports and fencing. It also lends its name to 22 national top level sports leagues, and over 35 competitions. These additional funds have increased the number of federated members in these 16 disciplines by 32%, of whom there are now 316,500. In addition, athletes have been provided with the necessary infrastructure - facilities, transportation, medical services, referees and other technical support - all of which have improved national competitions. This is allowing Spanish elite athletes, who have spent their sports career in other countries, to return to compete in Spain. Liga Iberdrola, now Primera Iberdrola, has also achieved a notable increase in popularity, reaching 60,739 spectators this season at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium during the match between Club Atlético de Madrid Femenino and FC Barcelona. In recent years, over twelve men's first division stadiums have opened their doors to hold matches in this competition. Sport, crucial for promoting equality Real equality between men and women is one of Iberdrola’s core values. With its commitment to women's sport, the company helps to create new role models for society, to encourage healthy habits at an early age. Iberdrola drives and disseminates the role of women in sport through other initiatives, like the ‘Women’s Universe Tour’ , in collaboration with the Higher Sports Council and the Fundación Deporte Joven, whose purpose is to transmit values like hard work and overcoming, by practising and showing several disciplines and spreading the word about the success of Spanish athletes. The large area of influence of both institutions will also enable Iberdrola and the RFEF to go further with their commitment to transforming the Spanish Women’s Football Team into the first Sustainable Team , to raise awareness of the importance of promoting sustainable development based on renewable energies as a way of fighting climate change. Iberdrola, committed to the SDGs Iberdrola has fully incorporated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into its strategy. The goals are part of the 2030 Agenda and were approved by the UN in September 2015. In line with its activities, Iberdrola focuses its efforts on the provision of affordable and clean energy (Goal 7) and climate action (Goal 13), as well as fulfilling other objectives. By supporting women in sport, Iberdrola is focusing its efforts on gender equality and female empowerment (Goal 5), health and well-being (Goal 3) and promoting public-private initiatives (Goal 17). READ MORE
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24/07/2019Record €3 billion investment up to June (+23%) allows Iberdrola to obtain net profit of €1.644 billion in the first half of 2019 (+16.6%) Iberdrola obtained a net profit of €1.644 billion in the first half of 2019, representing an increase of 16.6% from the same period last year. This strong result reflects the record investments made by the group. The company invested €3.054 billion in the first six months, up 23.2% year on year, 88% of which was allocated to renewable energy projects, and transmission and distribution network assets (48% the former and 40% the latter). This amount represents the group’s largest investment figure over a six-month period. In addition, over the past 18 months, Iberdrola’s investment totaled €8.375 billion, another record figure for the company. Group Chairman Ignacio Galán explained that “this double-digit growth highlights the success of our business model, based on a commitment to clean energy, regulated assets with stable and predictable returns, and a well-judged geographical diversification.” From investments during the first half, he highlighted the 68% rise in clean generation investments, as reflected by the good progress of works at East Anglia One offshore wind farm in the North Sea. Due to this investment, the company expects 5,250 MW of new capacity to be commissioned during 2019, out of which 75% will come on stream in the second half of the year. The acceleration in the pace of investment signals that the target of developing 13,000 MW in new capacity during the 2018 to 2022 period will be exceeded. This would mean an increase in the group’s installed capacity of more than 40% relative to the start of the Plan. The increase in investments is also a response to the business opportunities presented by the transition to a low carbon economy. Decarbonisation strategies are being implemented in both the US and Europe. These include the EU’s Clean Energy for All Europeans package, Spain’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, the UK’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Plan and the New York Climate and Community Protection Act, among other initiatives. At the same time there are opportunities in offshore wind and network infrastructure in US, UK and Brazil. Mexico is also seeking to commission 70,000 new megawatts of capacity by 2033. Good operating performance of international businesses Operating performance of Iberdrola’s international businesses was very positive, as reflected by revenue increasing to €18.28 billion in the six months to the end of June – up by 3.9% from the first half of 2018. Gross margin also improved, by 7.3%, to reach €8.23 billion. Gross operating profit (EBITDA) reached €4.989 billion for the half-year, representing an increase of 12.5%. This result was driven by positive performances in US, Mexico and Brazil, and the contribution of the Wikinger offshore wind farm, comfortably offsetting the decline in contribution from the Networks and Renewables businesses in Spain and the Generation and Retail business in the UK. By business area, Networks posted EBITDA of €2.593 billion, up by 8.6%, driven by Brazil and US, which saw operating results growing by 36.1% and 10.7% respectively. The UK also improved, growing by 4.3%. In Spain, EBITDA shrank by 6.4%. Generation and Retail EBITDA stood at €1.182 billion for the January to June period, up 34.8% from same period of 2018. This growth was largely due to generation output increase in Spain (+27.4%), enhanced revenue in Mexico. The good performance in these two countries offsets the lesser contribution of the retail business in the United Kingdom as a consequence to the complex operating environment in that country. Renewables posted €1.165 billion EBITDA, down by 1.6%, affected by lower wind and hydro production in Spain resulting from meteorological conditions, which translate into a 22.6% decline in operating profit. However, the business performed well in Brazil (+21.5%), the UK (+4%) and Mexico, which increased its output thanks to the commissioning of new photovoltaic capacity. Also significant was the contribution of Wikinger offshore wind farm, improving the performance of Iberdrola Energía Internacional[1]. The Group’s renewable capacity now exceeds 30,300 megawatts (MW). Constant improvement of financial strength During the first half of the year, Iberdrola continued to implement its financing strategy, with €5.5 billion of new resources, focusing on sustainable and green formats that amounted to €4 billion. The group continues to be world leader in the placement of corporate green bonds. This has also contributed to the improvement of the group’s financial solidity. Iberdrola’s cash generation for the period grew by 11.1% to €3.88 billion. Thus, the group has improved all its financial ratios. Average cost of borrowing was reduced by six basis points to 3.43%. The ratio of net debt to EBITDA came to 3.67 at the end of the period and the ratio of cash generation to net debt increased to 21.2%. Improved full-year guidance “I’m pleased to confirm that we are delivering on our Strategic Outlook faster than expected, which allows us to announce an upward revision of our full-year net profit guidance higher than 10%,” said Ignacio Galán. This revision in guidance follows the solid results for the first six months, the commissioning of new capacity as well as cost savings. The company now expects to achieve low double-digit percentage growth in net profit for 2019, rather than the high single-digit increase previously forecasted. [1] This company brings together the businesses previously referred to as “Rest of the World” (ROW). READ MORE
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23/07/2019Iberdrola and Caja Rural de Soria have joined forces to develop the Buniel wind farm, one of the largest in Castilla y León Iberdrola and Caja Rural de Soria are joining forces to develop the Buniel wind farm (Burgos) which, with 114 megawatts (MW) of installed power, will be one of the largest in Castilla y León. The energy company and the credit cooperative have entered into a collaboration agreement to promote, build and operate this new wind project, with an expected investment of 100 million euros. The wind farm, which straddles the Burgos municipalities of Cavia, Cayuela and Buniel, will consists of 26 SG 4.5-132 wind turbines, one of these with the highest unit power in the global land wind segment, optimised for high-wind areas. Work to build the wind farm is expected to begin in 2021. The power generated by the Buniel wind farm will supply clean energy to a population of 350,000 homes/year, the equivalent of the towns of Burgos, Palencia and Soria together. It will also prevent the emission of 154,000 tons CO2 / year, proof of the usefulness of this technology for protecting the environment and mitigating global warming. The plant will be a source of income for local councils in the area and will create a significant number of jobs. Buniel represents a further commitment by Iberdrola to securing energy leadership in the Castilla y León region. It is already operating 5,087 MW - 1,454 MW of which from wind - making this the Autonomous Community with the most ‘green’ megawatts installed by the company. In addition to this project, Iberdrola has wind farms with installed capacity of 73 MW under administrative processing (Herrera’s wind farm complex and La Lora’s one). More investment to lead the energy transition in Spain The Buniel wind project is part of a clean energy relaunch plan designed by Iberdrola in Spain, whereby the company expects to install an additional 3,000 MW by 2022 and up to 10,000 new MW by 2030. The plan will create jobs for 20,000 people in Spain. These new projects are among the global investments to be undertaken by Iberdrola by 2022, with total investments of up to 34 billion. Iberdrola is the most prolific producer of wind energy in Spain, with installed power of 5,770 MW, while its total installed renewable capacity, including both wind and hydroelectric, is 15,828 MW. Globally, Iberdrola's installed renewable capacity comes to over 30,362 MW, which makes its generation fleet one of the cleanest in the energy sector. READ MORE
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18/07/2019Iberdrola is the first company to obtain the AENOR Healthy Company Certificate for its worldwide activities Iberdrola has become the first multinational company to obtain the Healthy Company Certificate awarded by the Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification (AENOR) for its worldwide activities, in compliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) model. This multi-site certification, which was awarded by AENOR, has been validated for all the companies of the group, which currently has employees in 25 countries. The certification takes into account a number of variables including: physical environment, health, psychosocial and community. The recognition confirms the commitment by the group's management to implementing and promoting a continuous improvement process to protect and promote the health and safety of all professionals and the sustainability of the workplace. For example, Iberdrola offers its team numerous measures to improve their well-being and work-life balance including: health plans, sports facilities, a medical and physiotherapy service at a large number of its work centres and awareness campaigns, among others. Similarly, the company has just implemented a healthy company management system, based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology, which will initially run for three years, up to 2022. Obtaining this important certification is part of the Iberdrola group's global commitment to quality, which covers the excellent management of all processes and resources as an essential lever in creating value for people: shareholders, customers, employees and other company stakeholders. Iberdrola, committed to the SDGs Iberdrola has fully incorporated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into its strategy. The goals are part of the 2030 Agenda and were approved by the UN in September 2015. In line with its activities, Iberdrola focuses its efforts on the provision of affordable and clean energy (Goal 7) and climate action (Goal 13). By obtaining the AENOR Healthy Company certificate, Iberdrola is also contributing to the fulfilment of SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and 17 (partnerships for the goals). In addition, the group contributes directly to ensuring clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), it has increased its investment in R&D activities to 270 million euros in 2018 (Goal 9), promotes respect for the life of terrestrial ecosystems (Goal 15) and contributes indirectly to the other SDGs. READ MORE
