News
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03/12/2020Ignacio Galán: "It is not enough to set long-term goals, we need to act now and do it together through public-private partnerships" Coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, participated in an event organised together with the United Nations in which he stressed that "it is not enough to set long-term goals, we need to act now." "Finding solutions to global challenges also requires joint action from all stakeholders through alliances and public-private partnerships such as Moving for Climate NOW," he said. The Chairman of Iberdrola recalled that "more green investments and new measurable initiatives are necessary, which will benefit the environment and will also help economic recovery through new jobs and technology." In this sense, the company plans to invest 75 billion euros up until 2025, with which it will double its renewable capacity to 60,000 MW and increase its networks by 50%, contributing to maintaining around 500,000 jobs around the world. During the meeting, Galán presented the Moving for Climate NOW manifesto to the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Patricia Espinosa. This declaration emphasises the need to step on the environmental transition accelerator and take a step beyond the Paris objective, limiting the increase in global temperature to 1.5ºC, instead of 2ºC, contemplated five years ago. The Moving for Climate NOW manifesto presented today thus affects five levers towards driving change: * Developing medium and long-term roadmaps to achieve climate neutrality. * Aligning recovery programmes with climate objectives. * Accelerating decarbonisation in all economic sectors. * Promoting nature-based solutions such as reforestation and ecosystem conservation. * Creating alliances among all stakeholders to fulfil the commitments. After presenting the manifesto, a debate took place in which United Nations 'climate champions' Nigel Topping, from the next COP26, and Gonzalo Muñoz, from the last COP25 held in Madrid, among others, participated. Iberdrola's climate neutrality in Europe in 2030 Iberdrola, a world leader in the fight against climate change —Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda—, has actively participated in the different Climate Summits and is fully aligned with the Paris Agreement. The company's anticipation of the energy transition two decades ago has enabled it to place its emissions at 110 grams of CO2/kWh, which is two-thirds lower than the European average. Iberdrola plans to achieve climate neutrality in Europe as early as 2030 —20 years before the European Union objectives— and to do so globally by 2050. Six editions of Moving for Climate NOW and nearly 4,000 km travelled The Moving for Climate NOW cycling route for the climate is in its sixth edition this year in virtual format. After traveling nearly 4,000 kilometres since the first edition, which was from Bilbao to COP21 in Paris, this initiative promoted by Iberdrola has brought together more than 150 participants from different fields in favour of climate action: international organisations such as the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and the International Energy Agency (IEA); institutions such as the Spanish Office for Climate Change; initiatives such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development; civil society through NGOs such as ECODES, the Red Cross and Ayuda en Acción; opinion leaders, athletes and research centres and universities such as the Pontificia Comillas University, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). In the final goals, Moving for Climate NOW has delivered its manifestos to the main institutions of the global climate agenda, passing through the Climate Summits in Paris, Marrakech, Bonn, Katowice and Madrid. READ MORE
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02/12/2020Iberdrola ramps up its venture strategy by allocating €40 million to invest in innovative industrial companies for the energy transition Iberdrola has stepped up investment in innovation and industrialisation in newly created sectors to stay abreast of the energy revolution and help to create opportunities that will make Spain an industrial benchmark in the energy transition. It is doing this by creating a new line within its Perseo startups programme — Perseo Venture Builder — which will invest €40 million in the creation of innovative industrial companies engaged in new electrification areas and in difficult-to-decarbonise sectors such as industry and heavy transport. The Perseo Programme, which has been operating for a decade, has so far invested €70 million in startups that develop technologies and innovative business models. Under this model, Iberdrola has contributed to the creation and growth of a global ecosystem of technology companies and entrepreneurs around the electricity sector. Perseo has focused its efforts on analysing global business and technology partnership opportunities with startups and emerging companies, analysing some 300 companies every year and creating an ecosystem made up of almost 3,000 pioneering companies. This investment instrument now manages a portfolio of 9 companies. Through Perseo, Iberdrola carries out more than 25 real trials with technologies every year, which are used as a first step for establishing business relationships and partnerships with startups. In the last two years they have carried out a total of nine challenges in which 700 startups have taken part, to identify innovative solutions that improve operations and reduce environmental impact. Businesses that support electrification and decarbonisation of industry and heavy transport With the creation of Perseo Venture Builder, Iberdrola increases ambition — allocating a total of €110 million to its entrepreneurship programme — and completes its strategy with the constitution of businesses that support electrification. Initially, it will focus in the recycling of modules, blades and batteries, as well as in difficult-to-decarbonise sectors, some of which are industrial processes, such as industrial heat production and long-haul transport. “In the past decade we have focused on forming alliances with start-ups with an open innovation strategy, which has made us quick to identify future trends in our industry while giving us access to disruptive technologies and business models. The experience and results have been extraordinary. With this new initiative we complete our approach, promoting the creation and acceleration of innovative industries and a supply chain that will mark the energy development and jobs of the future, and harnessing our knowledge of innovation and technology in key businesses to electrify the economy”, explained Agustín Delgado, director of innovation, sustainability and quality at Iberdrola. The short-term aim of the Perseo Venture Building unit consists of developing six or seven lines of action over the next five years, with which it will stimulate industrial hubs with interesting potential for growth and to drive economic recovery and social development. The first project is Iberlyzer, an initiative carried out in collaboration with Basque company Ingeteam, destined to become the first large-scale electrolyser manufacturer in Spain. The company will start operating next year and is expected to integrate more than 200 MW of electrolysers in 2023. This output — which will account for more than 50 % of installed electrolyser capacity planned for Spain by that date — will be used in the second project to emerge from the alliance between Iberdrola and Fertiberia, which will produce green hydrogen for the plant in Palos de la Frontera, in Huelva. Perseo Venture Builder’s activities will focus on creating innovative companies in collaboration with other technology and industrial groups and will also entail public-private partnerships. Its main area of influence is Spain, although it does not rule out promoting activities in other markets where Iberdrola operates. READ MORE
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01/12/2020The Iberdrola Spain Foundation moves to Toledo its exhibition entitled 'The Prado Museum in the Streets', featuring some of its most iconic works The Iberdrola Spain Foundation has relocated its successful cultural initiative 'The Prado Museum in the Streets' to Toledo. This project aims to promote knowledge and communicate the Prado Museum’s collections and the cultural identity of its historical heritage by launching educational programmes and cultural outreach activities. It also aims to virtually recreate the experience of visiting the museum by allowing visitors to contemplate the paintings in their life-sized dimensions, providing an experience similar to that of being in front of the actual works of art. Until December 25, the exhibition, which was inaugurated this morning by Andrés Úbeda, Deputy Director of Conservation and Research of the Prado Museum, Fernando García, Chairperson of the Iberdrola Spain Foundation, and Rosa Ana Rodríguez, Minister of Education, Culture and Sports of the Castille-La Mancha Community Board in Toledo, will bring 50 of the most important works of the museum's permanent collection to the people of Toledo through photographic reproductions, in real size —adapted to the dimensions of the exhibition panels (184 x 122 cm)—, located in Paseo del Miradero, one of the most emblematic spaces in the city. This large, open-air exhibition, curated by Fernando Pérez Suescun, Head of Educational Content at the Prado Museum, enables visitors to tour the different artistic schools covered by the Prado Museum's permanent collections and learn about the history of Spain, Europe and Western art in general, as painted by the great masters. The Spanish, Italian, Flemish, French, German and Dutch schools will be represented through artists from the 12th century to the early 20th century. The show also has bilingual information panels on each of the works, as well as bilingual panels with information on the history of the Museum and its collections. The reproductions are shown at a scale of 1:1. Due to the dimensions of the exhibition stands, this means that some of the larger works are represented by just a detail of one of their most impressive and memorable sections. However, the entire painting will be shown in the explanatory panel. After the great success of the exhibition during the museum's bicentenary celebrations, 'The Prado Museum in the Streets' began its journey through Castile-La Mancha on 13 July in Sigüenza and will travel to eight cities in Castile-La Mancha over ten months. In addition to Sigüenza, Puertollano and Tomelloso, Ciudad Real and Toledo, the exhibition will visit Guadalajara, Cuenca and Talavera de la Reina. The Iberdrola Spain Foundation is a Protector member of the Prado Museum Through its foundation in Spain , one of Iberdrola’s main areas of activity is cultural development, focusing on the care and maintenance of cultural and artistic treasures. The Iberdrola Spain Foundation has thus been working in partnership with the Prado Museum since 2010 to support conservation and restoration programmes undertaken by the art gallery, and offers four annual scholarships for young art restorers. The Foundation is also keen to join in the Special Programme for the Prado Museum’s bicentenary celebrations, especially with the launch of this travelling exhibition in Spain. Since 2011, the Iberdrola Foundation has allocated a total of €13 million to art and culture, focusing its resources primarily on the restoration programme to support the restoration workshops of leading museums for the conservation of their pictorial and artistic heritage. The foundation also supports the Lighting Programme, which includes the design, execution and financing of artistic projects to light up iconic buildings and monuments. READ MORE
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01/12/2020Fundación Iberdrola España will support 34 social projects dedicated to vulnerable people affected by the COVID-19 crisis Iberdrola, through its Foundation in Spain, will support a total of 34 social projects in the call for its 2021 Social Programme, dedicated to vulnerable people affected by the COVID-19 crisis. In this edition, the Fundación Iberdrola España Social Programme has prioritised helping one of the most vulnerable groups during the pandemic: children. Therefore, 43% of the projects selected by the entity are aimed at fighting child poverty and promoting inclusive education. Another 23% is aimed at social and labour inclusion of people with disabilities and 17% is for the field of health and well-being. The call reinforces the foundation's commitment against inequality and gender violence, with 17% of the selected projects. The Social Programme has been allocated 1.2 million euros and the initiatives that will be developed with its support will impact an estimated 50,000 people in 2021, generating 230 direct jobs for professionals in the third sector. The 34 projects of the Social Programme are aligned with the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and follow the collaborative example proposed by the United Nations in its 17 SDGs, forging multi-stakeholder alliances between public and private institutions. Promoting more than 400 projects in collaboration with one hundred social entities Iberdrola, through its Foundation's Social Programme in Spain, has allocated more than 10 million euros to social initiatives in the country and helped a total of 375,000 people. Since the launch of this Plan in 2010, the company has promoted more than 400 projects in collaboration with more than one hundred social entities, contributing to the fight against child poverty, school support and social insertion of children, youth and women in a situation of vulnerability. The Social Programme has created 1,300 jobs and 2,250 volunteers participate in it. Fundación Iberdrola España also focuses its activities on its scholarship programme in the fields of energy, biodiversity and the environment and research, as well as on culture, focusing on restoring and maintaining the wealth of cultural and artistic heritage in the Iberian Peninsula. READ MORE
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30/11/2020Iberdrola puts the Puylobo wind farm in Aragon into operation Iberdrola continues to make progress with its investment plans in renewables to keep driving the energy transition forward, and with it the recovery of the economy and employment. This is the background for the commissioning of the Puylobo wind farm, in the province of Zaragoza, following its completion in the record time of eight months during the pandemic . Located in the province of Zaragoza, in the municipalities of Borja and Mallén, the project has 49 MW of installed power and comprises fourteen SG 3.4-132 wind turbines, a model with a 64.5 m long blade, optimal for medium and high wind locations. The entry into operation of Puylobo will avoid the annual emission of 19,000 t/CO2 and part of its output will supply 100% renewable energy to the 13,500 supply points of Vodafone’s own network in Spain as from January, as a result of the long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed by the two companies. The construction of the wind farm has involved over 120 workers with a significant local contribution: civil works by local companies, and many of the turbine components - towers, nacelles, generators, gears and transformers - have been manufactured in Asturias, Cantabria, Soria and Burgos. Puylobo marks the completion for Iberdrola over the last year and a half of 122 renewable megawatts (MW) in Aragon, including the El Pradillo wind farm (23 MW), in Zaragoza - operational since January - and its first photovoltaic plant (Azaila) of 50 MW, which is nearing completion in Teruel. This takes the company to nearly 500 renewable MW installed in the region. A doubling of the renewable commitment with 500 green MW in progress Aragon is one of the regions in which Iberdrola has decided to keep investing, doubling its renewable commitment in recent years, with nearly 500 green MW in progress. These are the Peñaflor, Fuendetodos and Escatrón photovoltaic plants, plus a co-developed wind power installation in Pancrudo, Teruel. All the projects have connection access and environmental analysis. Additionally, Iberdrola intends to develop wind and photovoltaic projects of 700 MW installed capacity in various areas of the region. Green investment to promote the recovery of the economy and employment Iberdrola is convinced that the energy transition can act as a key vector in the transformation of the industrial fabric and the green recovery of the economy and employment. With this in mind, Iberdrola has launched a historic investment programme worth €75bn for 2020-2025, with the aim of doubling its renewable capacity and taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the energy revolution that the world's major economies are facing. Investments for Spain for the period amount to nearly €14.3bn, half of which - over €7bn - will be earmarked for new renewable projects, while €4.5bn will go towards fortifying and continuing to digitalise the electricity grids. After 20 years promoting the energy transition in Spain, Iberdrola leads in renewable energy in the country, with an installed renewable capacity exceeding 16,700 MW at September 2020 - an amount that rises to more than 33,000 MW worldwide, making its generation facilities among the cleanest in the energy sector. With CO2/kWh emissions already two-thirds below the European average, the investment strategy in networks and clean energy will make Iberdrola a "carbon neutral" company in Europe by 2030. READ MORE
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25/11/2020Iberdrola hands out the SuperA Awards to acknowledge civil society initiatives that promote equality through sport This afternoon, in an event streamed live, the first Iberdrola SuperA Awards ceremony was held to recognise the six civil-society initiatives selected for their contribution to promoting gender equality and empowering women through sport. The winning projects in the six categories, selected from 400 entries, were as follows: * The MAAVI Foundation Club de Fútbol in Roquetas de Mar (Almería) was recognised with an Iberdrola SuperA Social award for its work to wipe out inequality in an area with very high levels of immigration. * The Fomento Igualdad de Género project won in the Iberdrola SuperA Base category. The initiative, promoted by La Asociación de Federaciones Deportivas de Castilla y León, in collaboration with the Social Services Department and the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Government of Castile and León, encourages sport for girls aged 11 to 16 and intends to reach more than 3,000 schoolchildren. * The Mujer, vida y deporte initiative won in the Iberdrola SuperA Competition category. This Zaragoza-based women's hockey club, founded by and made up of mothers of young players, has succeeded in getting two sides into national competitions. * In the Iberdrola SuperA Inclusion category, the winner was Mucho por hacer. This weightlifting association brings sport to people who have suffered bone marrow injuries. The project will be carried out at the National Paraplegic Hospital (HNP) in Toledo, and will install sports equipment in rooms to improve the physical condition of women with these injuries and other motor disabilities. * FUTFEM.COM received the Iberdrola SuperA Diffusion award. It is a pioneering Spanish language website for disseminating women’s football. * Iberdrola SuperA+ went to the Juntas Venceremos project. An online platform created by Primera Iberdrola players to raise funds for the fight against COVID-19. At the awards ceremony, Ignacio Galán said: “we have spent years pouring all our energy into achieving full gender equality within our company, and throughout society. And today, we are taking another step forward. We know a lot about networks, and we want to create another one, invisible but just as solid, to unite everyone making these efforts to achieve full equality in the high-impact area that is sport”. The chairman of Iberdrola also remarked that “equality is more than a basic right. It is also one of the basic foundations for building a more prosperous world for all”. During his speech to the winners he said that by starting up the SuperA, they had decided to help make these dreams come true and that “as well as achieving the goal that led you to create them, you can also serve as a model for other dreamers”. The winners were chosen by an honourable jury made up of eight women and five men, all prominent sports personalities: Amanda Sampedro, Carolina Marín, Conchita Martinez, Javier Fernández, Jesús Carballo, Manu Carreño, Marta Arce, Paloma del Río, Sandra Sánchez, Silvia Navarro, Talant Dujshebaev, Teresa Perales and Vicente del Bosque. The prizes were handed out by the chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, who was accompanied by Irene Lozano, chair of the Higher Sports Council; Alejandro Blanco, chair of the Spanish Olympic Committee; Miguel Carballeda, chair of the Spanish Paralympic Committee; Marta Arce, Paralympic Medallist in Judo; Amanda Sampedro, footballer and Carolina Marín, Olympic badminton champion. The event was presented by Paloma del Rio, with help from Sandra Sánchez, Silvia Navarro, and Vicente del Bosque, all members of the honourable jury. The Iberdrola SuperA Awards have a prize fund of 300,000 euros (50,000 euros for each category) and pursue the UN 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly number 5, which refers to gender equality and the empowerment of women, and SDG 3, regarding health and well-being. Iberdrola, pioneer in promoting women's sport Promoting women's sport has become a key ambition for Iberdrola, and the promotion of true equality between men and women one of its essential values. In 2016, Iberdrola became the first company to make a firm and global commitment to women's equality and empowerment through sport. Iberdrola currently supports 16 federations: gymnastics, triathlon, rugby, canoeing, badminton, football, handball, volleyball, hockey, table tennis, athletics, karate, boxing, surfing, ice sports and fencing. Iberdrola also lends its name to 22 national top-tier sports leagues, and 35 other competitions. At the same time, the provision of resources, facilities, medical services and referees, as well as support and sponsorship for different initiatives in this field from Iberdrola has not only helped to increase the number of federated sportswomen in these disciplines by 32% (reaching over 300,000), but is also allowing Spanish elite sportswomen who have built their sporting career in other countries to start competing again in Spain, leading to an improvement in the standard and visibility of national competitions. READ MORE
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24/11/2020Iberdrola receives an award for its commitment to inclusion Chairman Iberdrola group, Ignacio Galán, received the MAPFRE Responsible Inclusion award from the Chairman of Mapfre, Antonio Huertas, during the 1st Mapfre Observatory Forum on Sustainable Finance. The award recognises Iberdrola's commitment to people with disabilities, in particular for the development of projects, policies and labour adaptability. The first edition of this award comes as a result of the launch of the MAPFRE Responsible Inclusion investment fund just one year ago, which includes in its portfolio the companies most committed to the labour inclusion of people with disabilities, including Iberdrola. In addition to receiving this award, Ignacio Galán took part in a debate on financial profitability and the social dividend as part of the sustainable finance forum. In his speech, Galán asked investors to take into account the concrete and real actions carried out in the field of ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) when making decisions. “I’m not sure that all sectors are taking sufficient account of the social and environmental element,” explained the Chairman of Iberdrola, who warned that “we are looking at the commitment for 2050,” but “the problem is 2021. The decision must be made now”. You have to act and measure today; it’s not enough just to say what you are going to do in the future Galán also called for greater rigour in measuring ESG factors, taking into account absolute numbers rather than relative terms: “If you emit a thousand, and reduce by 50%, you still emit a lot. We don't have to be less bad, but rather better,” he said. In this sense, he has challenged the financial sector to end the so-called greenwashing that many companies do when it comes to committing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Financial institutions need to be much more rigid on this issue and ask for concrete numbers, not percentages. You have to act and measure today, it’s not enough just to say what you are going to do in the future”. The chairman of Iberdrola explained that, faced with this attitude, the company has included the social dividend , in its articles of association, which demonstrates its commitment to providing sustainable value for all its stakeholders in a structured and measurable way. Ignacio Galán also referred to the current difficult economic situation generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and urged attendees to invest scarce resources in companies and productive sectors with a future. Galán insisted that in order to emerge from the crisis it is necessary to “invest more and better, work more and better, and subsidise just enough” to create a “productive economy”. He has also asked that “structural decisions not be made in critical times”. Sectors that could have a future should be reorganised, and those that do not have a future should be helped “go through as little trouble as possible”, but circumstantially. “We can't leave anyone behind, but we have to do it by putting in all our effort. The companies, with our balance sheets; the experts, with their knowledge; and the politicians, with their ability to try to take a leap forward with the economy and our production model,” said the Chairman of Iberdrola. Thinking about future generations, Galán has stressed that, since they will be left with “a gigantic debt”, there is an obligation to also leave “a better country”, investing in training and employment and, collaborating with educational centres and universities to train people. READ MORE
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20/11/2020Iberdrola and Porsche join forces to promote the ultra-fast charging of electric vehicles in Spain Iberdrola and Porsche have decided to join forces to push forward the electrification of transport, with a collaboration agreement to promote the deployment of ultra-fast charging in Spain. This agreement will see Iberdrola install 35 Premium stations, to be known as the Porsche Iberdrola High Power Charging Network, featuring the most powerful 150 kW and 350 kW chargers on the market which are compatible with Porsche Taycan vehicles. Twenty of the stations will be operational next year, with the rest coming on-stream in 2022. Each of the Porsche Iberdrola High Power Charging Network stations will have between six and eight chargers, two with up to 350 kW of power and the rest between 150 kW and 50 kW. A Porsche Taycan will therefore be able to charge 80% of its battery capacity in just over twenty minutes. In only 5 minutes, it will have enough extra power to travel a further 100 kilometres. Porsche customers can charge their electric vehicles at these stations with 100% green energy from clean generation sources with renewable Guarantee of Origin (GoO) certificates. The partnership between the two companies to promote sustainable mobility will allow Porsche customers to enjoy 6 months of free charging, not only at the new Premium stations, but also at the network of charging points on public roads that Iberdrola is rolling out across Spain. “The agreement shows the ambition of our transport electrification strategy and confirms the need to continue to collaborate with all actors in the sector to meet the challenges of mobility based on clean energy and zero CO 2 emissions”, explained Raquel Blanco, global head of Iberdrola’s Smart Mobility. “This partnership with Porsche Ibérica also puts us in a privileged position to offer ultra-fast charging solutions”. “At Porsche we are once again demonstrating our commitment to electric mobility”, said Tomás Villén, CEO of Porsche Ibérica. “We want to lead this transition process, contributing directly to the development of infrastructures. A few years ago, we reached an agreement with other manufacturers to set up Ionity, the largest European fast-charging network, which is growing every year. Now, as a result of this collaboration with Iberdrola, we are going to provide Spain's main inter-city roads with enough charging points to ensure that long-distance trips are not an inconvenience in an electric car.” The electric charging points of the Porsche Iberdrola High Power Charging Network stations will be available on the ‘Recarga Pública Iberdrola’ mobile App, the only App that includes verified information on all the electric vehicle charging stations operational in Spain, both Iberdrola’s and those of other operators too. With this App you can geolocate the charger and reserve and pay from your mobile. Electric mobility and green recovery Iberdrola continues its commitment to the electrification of transport in its transition strategy towards a decarbonised economy, as a key way of reducing emissions and pollution and ensuring the green recovery. The company is implementing a sustainable mobility plan , with an investment of 150 million euros, resulting in an increased roll-out of charging points for electric vehicles over the coming years. The initiative will see the installation of around 150,000 charge points in homes, companies and on the public road network in cities as well as on the main motorways and highways over the next five years. The commitment to deploying high efficiency charging points will include the company installing ultra-rapid (350 kW) charging points every 200 kilometres, super-rapid points (150 kW) every 100 kilometres, and rapid (50 kW) points every 50 kilometres. The company has recently become the first Spanish business to subscribe to The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, with the aim of accelerating the transition towards electric vehicles with a commitment to electrifying its entire fleet of vehicles , allowing its staff to charge their vehicles at its outlets in Spain and the United Kingdom by 2030. READ MORE
