Noticias
-
19/12/2024Iberdrola publishes £10.6bn plan to transform transmission network in the United Kingdom Iberdrola, through its UK subsidiary ScottishPower Energy Networks, has set out a £10.6bn (€12.8bn) plan to help rewire Britain and deliver the critical electricity infrastructure needed for decades to come as it submits its RIIO-T3 Business Plan to Ofgem. The Business Plan, How we get there , covers the next price control period from 2026-31 and will deliver new and upgraded transmission infrastructure in central and southern Scotland, including 12 new major transmission substations, 450km of upgraded existing circuits, 87km of upgraded overhead lines and 35km of underground cables – all to help increase capacity on the GB transmission grid to meet demand. The Plan also outlines a programme of investment to further increase network resilience, maintain existing assets and help connect up to 19.000MW of new clean, green power to the grid, as well as contributing to reduced constraint costs, leading to a £167 (€202) saving per household every year by 2030. SP Energy Networks plans to double its transmission workforce with around 1,400 new directly employed jobs and supporting another 11,000 more jobs across the UK. This is a step change in transmission investment, over three times more than the £3.4bn (€4.1bn) of the RIIO-T2 plan. Independent research by the Centre for Energy Policy at the University of Strathclyde has found that the Business Plan could contribute sustained economic benefit of £2bn (€2.4bn) each year to UK society. You can read the full article at the ScottishPower Press Room . READ MORE
-
17/12/2024 - 20:46 UTC +01:00Iberdrola closes three new deals to supply 476 MW of green energy on the Iberian Peninsula Iberdrola has three new long-term power purchase agreements (known as PPAs) for a total of 476 MW, or 1,100 GWh, equivalent to the supply of more than 300,000 Spanish households in a year. These contracts join those already signed this year, such as those with Alcampo, BP, Gres Panaria and Burger King. The new renewable energy contracts are associated with a 212 MW solar project in Spain and two wind projects totalling 264 MW. These renewable projects involved an investment of more than €600 M and will generate more than 1,600 jobs during peak periods. Leader in PPA According to the consultancy firm Pexapark, Iberdrola was the company that signed the most PPAs in Europe in 2023 with nine agreements for more than 900 MW. The electricity company has extensive experience in this sector and manages this type of contract in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland, Brazil, the United States, Mexico and Australia. With these latest agreements signed in 2024, Iberdrola exceeds the PPAs signed in 2023 in Europe. The group has entered into strategic partnerships with a long list of major companies, including Amazon, Apple, Meta, Telefónica, Mercedes Benz, Heineken, Vodafone, Mercadona, TMD, Stahl Holding Saar (SHS), ABInBev, De Acero, VW-SEAT, Renault, Holcim, the Salzgitter Group, Bayer and Burger King, among others. The PPA is the ideal tool for customers who want to decarbonise, because it ensures that they consume renewable energy at a long term fixed price. READ MORE
-
17/12/2024 - 18:02 UTC +01:00Iberdrola continues to train technicians at its National Training Centre in the US Iberdrola, through its US subsidiary Avangrid , just graduated the second class of technicians trained at Avangrid's National Training Center (NTC), who are now ready to begin their careers in renewables. Recently graduated and recently hired by the company, they are a vivid example of the opportunities provided by innovative and specialised training in green jobs . In this case, they are professionals from wind projects operated by the energy company in three different states, who have attended two and a half weeks of technical and safety training at the facility in Sherman County, Oregon. You can read the full story at the Avangrid Communications Room . READ MORE
-
16/12/2024 - 14:10 UTC +01:00Iberdrola adheres to the Bilbao Charter of Values The Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, and the Executive Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán , signed the city's Charter of Values this morning in the Biscayan capital. Both have defended shared principles such as solidarity, justice, equality and staying true to one's word. "Societies with clear rules and a legal framework based on the law offer stability and attractiveness for investment". The event was attended by some thirty companies that have also signed up to the Bilbao Charter of Values. Each and every one of these companies, benchmarks in Bilbao's business fabric, have signed their commitment to foster, promote and maintain attitudes and behaviour in accordance with the spirit and content of the Charter of Values. Throughout the month of November, Bilbao City Council, in collaboration with Iberdrola and Torre Iberdrola, has carried out a campaign encouraging companies and individuals to sign the Charter of Values. This action is part of the project 'Bilbao Balioen Hiria-Bilbao, a city of values' and the signatory companies undertake to defend the following individual and collective principles: * Respect for human rights, social justice, equality between women and men, solidarity. * Diversity and inclusion, commitment, environmental sustainability. * Co-responsibility, coexistence, identity, effort. * Trust, creativity, participation, honesty, enthusiasm, health. The Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, has highlighted the value of this unprecedented initiative. "Today is undoubtedly a great day for all the people who live and work in Bilbao. The firm and decisive commitment of the working, professional and business world to the Bilbao Balioen Hiria project through its adhesion to the Charter of Values is an unprecedented milestone that we think is a very positive step. The companies present here today are committed to doing their bit to build a better society, so that we can continue to collectively work towards the model of city we want". For his part, the Executive Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, stressed that "Iberdrola is a company of people that works for people and within the framework of this mission we support this initiative from the city that was our birthplace almost 124 years ago and with which we share values such as social justice, equality, diversity and inclusion and environmental sustainability. Bilbao is an example of a city committed to the needs and sensitivities of its residents and it is a pleasure to work hand in hand with its City Council and Mayor Aburto for a more fraternal, just and sustainable society". Bilbao: A city of values ‘Bilbao Balioen Hiria-Bilbao, a city of values' is a participatory initiative promoted by the Bilbao City Council, but built and developed, from the beginning, in collaboration with residents. It aims is to make the city known and recognised not only for its important regeneration, recovery and economic and urban transformation, but also for its values. The aim is to create a space for analysis, dialogue, reflection and collaborative work between institutions, organisations of all kinds, companies, the media, political groups and citizens in general, to promote and share a framework of shared values in the city. As a result of this project, in March 2018 the Plenary of the City Council approved the Bilbao Charter of Values, which identifies the 17 values that should form the backbone of the coexistence of Bilbao's residents and that should guide the future of the city in the coming years. Any person or organisation that wishes to do so can adhere to the Bilbao Charter of Values by filling out a simple online form available both on the City Council’s website and on the Bilbao Balioen Hiria’s website. READ MORE
-
13/12/2024 - 14:30 UTC +01:00Iberdrola congratulates British distribution network operator ENW for Utility of the Year Award Iberdrola congratulates Electricity North West (ENW) for winning the prestigious Utility of the Year award in the United Kingdom. At the Utility Week Awards, judges pointed out ENW ‘continually punched above its weight and found innovative solutions to industry challenges’. ENW also won the award for innovation in energy for its Net Zero Terrace project, which explores how terraced housing stock can benefit from low carbon technology. Taking a smart integrated systems approach to low carbon heat, the project aims to decarbonise terraced communities and reduce their energy costs through an integrated, optimised community virtual power plant. In October 2024, Iberdrola acquired 88% of Electricity North West (ENW) in the UK. The deal values 100% of the company, including debt, at approximately €5 billion. The transaction is subject to review by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Iberdrola and ENW are operating independently as separate, non-integrated businesses until receipt of the CMA's approval, according to the applicable regulations to this type of transactions. As announced at that time, this acquisition is part of Iberdrola's strategy to strengthen its network business in countries with strong ratings, such as the UK's AA credit rating. Following CMA approval of this acquisition, the UK will become the company's primary market in terms of network asset base value (€14 billion), followed by the US (€13.3 billion), as at the end of the first half of 2024. ENW distributes electricity to almost five million people in the North West of England, in locations such as Manchester and the Lake District and has approximately 60,000 km of electricity distribution networks. Geographically, ENW is located in a prime area for Iberdrola, between the two existing ScottishPower networks license areas, in central and southern Scotland and Merseyside and North Wales. The acquisition accelerates Iberdrola's commitment to grow its electricity networks business, with the company to become the second largest electricity network operator in the UK following CMA approval. Iberdrola would then distribute electricity to around 12 million people in the UK, across a network spanning more than 170,000 kilometers. In addition, Iberdrola will employ more than 8,500 people in the country. Iberdrola and a consortium of investors from Japan, led by Kansai, which will retain 12% of ENW's capital, have signed a shareholders' agreement to collaborate on a long-term basis. READ MORE
-
12/12/2024 - 21:18 UTC +01:00Iberdrola gives entry to Kansai into the German offshore wind project Windanker valued at 1.28 billion euros Iberdrola has given entry to the Japanese electric company Kansai into its Windanker offshore wind project, which is already under construction. The Japanese electric company will co-invest in the asset, reaching a 49% stake, while Iberdrola will retain control with the remaining 51%. The Windanker offshore wind farm, located in the German Baltic Sea, will have an installed capacity of 315 MW and will be operational in the last quarter of 2026. The operation values 100% of the offshore wind farm at 1.28 billion euros, which implies a multiple of 4.1 million euros per MW and 13.5 times EBITDA. Iberdrola will control and manage the assets, providing construction, operation, maintenance, and other corporate services. The agreement strengthens the relationship between the two companies, following Iberdrola's acquisition of Electricity North West (ENW) , where Kansai holds a 12% stake, and allows Iberdrola to advance its alliance and asset rotation plan, accelerating its growth in high-credit-quality countries while consolidating its financial strength. The Windanker wind farm will feature 21 wind turbines with a unit power of 15 MW and has already sold 100% of its production through long-term contracts. "This operation will allow us to accelerate our growth in offshore wind with a strategic partner like Kansai. The Windanker wind farm, whose energy is already sold to industrial customers on a long-term basis, demonstrates the potential of renewables to promote the industrialization of Europe with indigenous, clean, and competitive energy," said Iberdrola's president, Ignacio Galán. Leader in Offshore Wind Iberdrola currently has 2,400 MW of installed offshore wind capacity and expects to reach 4,800 MW by the end of 2026. The company already has four offshore wind farms in operation: Saint Brieuc (off the coast of Brittany, France), West of Duddon Sands (located in the Irish Sea, off the coast of the UK); Wikinger (in the German Baltic Sea), and East Anglia One (one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, off the British coast of the North Sea). Additionally, the company has four other wind farms under construction that will come into operation in 2025 and 2026: Baltic Eagle, in Germany, whose turbines are already fully installed; Vineyard Wind One, the first large-scale project in the United States; East Anglia Three, in the UK; and the Windanker wind farm (Germany), the subject of the agreement with Kansai. The investment in these operational and under-construction wind farms already amounts to 15 billion euros. Additionally, last summer Iberdrola was awarded the East Anglia Two (UK) and the New England Wind 1 (Massachusetts, USA) offshore wind projects The company also has secured seabed rights for future wind farms in the UK, Continental Europe, the United States, Australia, and Japan. Alliances for Growth Iberdrola has recently closed several long-term alliances to accelerate its growth and drive the decarbonization of the economy while maintaining its financial strength, including: * In October, Iberdrola closed the purchase of the UK distribution network operator ENW to continue expanding in the network business, with Kansai as a partner. * In January 2023, it signed an alliance with Norges Bank to co-invest in renewables , which, after its expansion, will reach 2,500 MW. * In December 2023, Iberdrola closed an agreement with Masdar to co-invest up to 15 billion in offshore wind and green hydrogen in Germany, the UK, and the USA, with the first milestone being the agreement announced in July for the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm in Germany. * In September 2023, the company closed an alliance with GIC for the expansion of transmission networks in Brazil for 430 million euros. * In February, the company sold more than 8,400 MW of combined cycle gas plants in Mexico for 6.2 billion dollars. * In March 2023, Iberdrola and BP launched a joint venture to deploy 11,700 fast-charging points in Spain and Portugal and established a 50% joint venture to develop a 25 MW green hydrogen project, the largest plant in Spain. * Iberdrola and MAPFRE have continued to advance their strategic alliance by incorporating 150 new MW through a joint venture, which already has 450 MW. * Additionally, Iberdrola signed an alliance with Energy Infrastructure Partners to co-invest in the Wikinger offshore wind farm and enhance its offshore wind portfolio. READ MORE
-
11/12/2024 - 16:18 UTC +01:00Iberdrola awards EnergyLoop the blade recycling contract for its first repowering in Spain Iberdrola has awarded EnergyLoop the contract for recycling blades and managing part waste for the Isabela and Molar de Molinar wind farms, the first Iberdrola wind farms to be repowered in Spain. A total of 139 wind turbines will be dismantled, with 417 blades weighing more than 800 tonnes. EnergyLoop was created in 2022 as a partnership between Iberdrola Ventures Perseo - through its Venture Builder programme for launching new innovative and sustainable businesses - and FCC Ámbito - a subsidiary of FCC Servicios Medio Ambiente specialising in integrated waste management – to lead wind turbine blade recycling on an industrial scale in Spain and Portugal in a pioneering facility. EnergyLoop's blade recycling plant located in Navarra is expected to start operating in early 2025. In the meantime, it already has all the necessary facilities and permits to receive and collect the blades. One of the most important factors during the dismantling process is managing the waste from the replaced wind turbines, especially the blades. The Iberdrola Group has already set a target of recycling 50% of the blades of dismantled wind turbines and solar panels by 2025 and 100% by 2030, as part of its commitment to the efficient use of resources and as part of its Circular Economy Plan. This involves a cultural change in the way we understand the production and consumption system to address the lack of resources, environmental impact, value creation and jobs. You can read the full story at Iberdrola España's Communication Room . READ MORE
-
09/12/2024 - 14:39 UTC +01:00Iberdrola gets green light to install Portugal's largest wind farm Iberdrola has obtained the production licence from the Portuguese Directorate General for Energy and Geology, which is another step towards the construction of the largest wind farm in Portugal. This project, located in the districts of Vila Real and Braga, in northern Portugal, and with a total investment of close to €350 M, confirms Iberdrola's commitment to its environmental objectives, and is the first of its kind to combine wind power with hydroelectric power. This involves sharing the connection point and the electricity evacuation line, which will include an extension of the substation, already foreseen in the project’s initial design. With an installed capacity of 274 MW and a production capacity of 601 GWh per year, equivalent to the use of 128,000 households, this infrastructure will be integrated into the Tâmega Power Plant System. The project, which will benefit from the existing connection point in Ribeira de Pena, will sign a PPA or power purchase agreement. This project, consisting of the Tâmega Norte and Tâmega Sul wind farms, is part of an agreement signed with the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, managed by Norges Bank Investment Management . The incorporation of wind energy in the Tâmega Complex will increase the contribution of clean, competitive and low-cost energy to the Portuguese electricity system, guaranteeing the maximum supply of green energy originally authorised for each project for as long as possible. The reduction in CO2 emissions comes not only from 100% green energy production, but also from the construction of the project, which, by being integrated into the Támega Complex, significantly reduces the environmental impact by making use of existing infrastructure, roads and facilities. In addition, at peak times, some 700 jobs will be created in areas such as civil engineering, wind turbine assembly, substations and transmission lines. The project will strengthen the country's energy independence, which will make an important contribution to achieving the objectives of the National Energy and Climate Plan. Alejandra Reyna, director of Iberdrola Renovables Portugal, says, "We’ve taken an important step towards the construction of the largest wind farm, and the first hybrid project combining wind and hydro power, in Portugal. This project is a further demonstration of Iberdrola's commitment to promoting the energy transition in Portugal, where it has already invested more than €2 B in renewable energy over the past 20 years. This commitment to electrification, through renewable energy and a focus on innovation, shows our commitment to building a sustainable, reliable and affordable future". Advanced technology and impact on the local economy The wind project has been awarded to Vestas and will consist of the installation of 38 of the latest wind turbines, the Vestas Enventus V172, with a unit capacity of 7.2 MW and a height of 114 metres. Alternating between hydropower and wind technologies will significantly reduce dependence on intermittent environmental conditions and the constraints of scarce resources such as wind. This will increase stability in renewable energy production and optimise infrastructure. As with all renewable energy projects in Portugal, the focus on local suppliers will be key: companies such as CJR and Conduril-Socorpena will be involved in developing the basic structure, while Painhas and Proef will be involved in building the substation and lines, which will start roll-out in early 2025. Innovative environmental measures Preserving the ecosystem is an essential element when building this type of project. Iberdrola will implement systems for constant oversight of environmental factors during construction to monitor birds, flora, habitats and archaeology, to mitigate potential impacts, identify new solutions to minimise them and gain a deeper understanding of local biodiversity. Tâmega Power Plant System The Tâmega Power Plant is one of the biggest hydroelectric projects carried out in Europe in the last 25 years. With a total investment of more than €1.5 B, it consists of three power plants: the Alto Tâmega Hydroelectric Power Plant, with an installed capacity of 160 MW, the Gouvães Pumped Storage Power Plant (880 MW) and the Daivões Power Plant (118 MW). The latter two have been in operation since 2022. The three plants have an installed capacity of 1,158 MW, which increases the total installed electrical power in the country by 6%. The complex is capable of producing 1,766 GWh a year, enough to meet the energy needs of neighbouring municipalities and the cities of Braga and Guimarães (440,000 households). In addition, this renewable infrastructure has a storage capacity of 40 million kWh, equivalent to the energy consumed by 11 million people 24 hours a day in their homes. The Támega Complex will eliminate the emission of 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to removing approximately 260,000 fossil fuel combustion vehicles from the roads each year. This will enable diversifying production sources, preventing the import of more than 160 thousand tonnes of oil a year. The positive impact on the region will boost economic activity and jobs with the creation of up to 3,500 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs during construction, 20% of which will come from neighbouring municipalities thanks to the more than 100 suppliers, 75 of which are Portuguese. READ MORE
