Noticias
-
21/03/2024Ignacio Galán in Financial Times: “The focus in the United States is in networks” Iberdrola will allocate a large part of its investment plan of 41,000 million euros to the United States, with a view to investing in its distribution and transmission networks, according to an interview with Iberdrola Executive Chairman, Ignacio Galan, in the Financial Times. Commenting ahead of the presidential election this year, Mr Galán stressed: “The focus in the United States is networks, and networks are based on the regulation of the states, not dependent on federal authorities at all,” Mr Galán also said that he hoped to see the IRA maintained after the election, as it provides long-term certainty for investors, but stressed that all the planned projects for the 2024 to 2026 plan already have tax credits secured. "We are not depending in our plan on the IRA being maintained,” he said. The president detailed the keys to the 2024-2026 Strategic Plan today in London, during the company's Capital Markets & ESG Day. The largest European electricity company by market value has announced that it will allocate 34% of that total to the US in the next three years, while the United Kingdom will receive 24%, that is, almost 10 billion euros. Iberdrola plans to make investments in renewable energy generation, allocating the planned 15.5 billion euros to projects in the advanced construction phase or about to begin. The investment should add about 9,000 MW to its portfolio of approximately 42,000 MW, helping it reach its goal of 52 GW of installed renewable capacity by the end of 2025. It plans to allocate the majority of those funds to offshore wind projects in the United States, United Kingdom United, France and Germany. You can read the full article here . READ MORE
-
21/03/2024Iberdrola will invest €41 billion and hire 10,000 people by 2026 to accelerate electrification Ignacio Galan, Iberdrola’s Executive Chairman, said: “The electrification of energy is unstoppable and will expand exponentially in the years ahead, supporting decarbonisation, boosting energy security, and reducing the volatility caused by fossil fuels. Customers are already driving this change. People are not returning to fossil fuels after they move to electric. Those who flip from petrol to EVs do not move back, likewise for customers replacing gas boilers with heat pumps. “Our strategy will focus on delivering enhanced grid to support security of supply, now 60% of our total investment, as well as a strong expansion of renewables capacity, driven by the substitution of fossil technologies and additional demand. We also recognise an increasing role of storage technologies to preserve the balance between supply and demand 24 hours a day. “Our strategic pillars focus on networks, geographical diversification, and a balanced energy and customers mix. This plan will allow us to grow our asset base, grow our profitability and strengthen our finances, as well as increasing dividends and driving jobs and skills and economic growth.” READ MORE
-
20/03/2024Iberdrola brings the most innovative wind power generation technologies to WindEurope Bilbao From 20 to 22 March, Bilbao will once again be hosting Europe's biggest event for the wind energy sector: WindEurope . The Bilbao Exhibition Centre will be the biggest stage for the most revolutionary technological and innovative solutions for onshore and offshore wind farms. Iberdrola, official sponsor of WindEurope, is once again bringing a new edition to Bizkaia, following the success of 2022. This fair is the world's most important meeting point for all technological solutions and the most advanced in the wind renewable energy sector. The opening ceremony today was attended by the CEO of Iberdrola Spain, Mario Ruiz-Tagle, and was visited by the Third Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, and the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu. At the stand of the Basque company, which has been committed to decarbonisation and renewable energies for two decades to promote the energy transition, they were able to learn about the most innovative wind energy technologies promoted by Iberdrola. Together with Arbórea Intellbird, Iberdrola has shared its advances in the inspection of wind turbines in motion with the small and revolutionary Colibrí drone, created by this technology company from Salamanca, which makes it possible to check the blades in automated flight, without the need to stop the wind turbines. The new platform is capable of sending high-resolution data and images directly to Arbórea's computer systems from any wind farm in the world via satellite network. The new process offers significant advantages: On the one hand, it is the fastest inspection system currently available, as a running wind turbine is scanned in less than ten minutes. This avoids the stresses to which the blades are subjected during shutdown processes and eliminates the associated times. On the other hand, the digital information obtained is integrated into Arbórea's systems to generate a new, updated layer of the blade's digital twin, which is stored in the data cloud. This makes it possible to analyse its evolution and risks in a predictive manner, using procedures patented by the company, which integrate artificial intelligence processes. In this way, problems are detected at an early stage, leading to improved efficiency and reduced costs. Iberdrola's Sierra de Dueña wind farm in Salamanca has hosted the first tests of the revolutionary Colibrí programme. Twelve years ago, Arbórea and Iberdrola began testing Aracnocóptero, the first drone capable of generating a digital twin of the blades of a wind turbine, in the windmills that crown the escarpments of this beautiful spot in the Salamanca dehesa. Subsequently, in 2015, these same machines were used to test Arbórea's technology aimed at incorporating a digital model of the internal structure of the blades. This process, which has now been implemented, revolutionised wind inspection procedures. Today, this magical enclave, full of biodiversity, is once again the setting for the testing of disruptive technology. This aircraft is the result of 15 years of continuous technological evolution, driven by the company since the flight of its first Arachnocopter in 2009. WindEurope Bilbao: World showcase for the wind energy sector WindEurope will attract more than 12,000 visitors to BEC! -Bilbao Exhibition Centre- on 20-21 and 22 March. The event brings together more than 500 companies from the wind energy sector. Europe, a world leader in the sector, is promoting the rapid decarbonisation of economic activity, driven by the need to accelerate energy independence. Europe's future has never been more dependent on clean energy than it is today. The wind sector is also a fundamental pillar of the energy transition and is key to meeting the objectives of the PNIEC, which foresees reaching 42% of energy consumption from renewables by 2030. In Spain, with more than 1,260 wind farms and some 250 industrial centres, the sector employs more than 27,600 professionals, contributing 3,106.4 million euros to the country's GDP. Iberdrola has a stand at this European wind industry event to present the progress made in this key energy for decarbonisation and to drive the energy transition. READ MORE
-
20/03/2024Iberdrola confirms new agreement with Amazon to procure 159 MW of renewable energy from East Anglia THREE, world’s second largest offshore wind farm Iberdrola, one of the world’s largest clean energy companies, and Amazon have expanded their long-term global clean power partnership by signing a major renewable energy power purchase agreement (PPA) for 159 MW of East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm in the UK, equivalent to 700 gigawatt-hours GWh of clean electricity per-year. Amazon has also signed PPAs with Iberdrola to enable projects in Germany, the U.S., and elsewhere in the UK. Over the life of these PPAs, Amazon has contracted 54,000 GWh of renewable energy from Iberdrola. East Anglia THREE will support more than 2,300 jobs during construction, and 100 long-term jobs over the lifetime of the wind farm. The 1.4 GW project will be powered by 95 Siemens Gamesa 14.7 megawatt (MW) turbines, and will be located 69km off the coast of Suffolk. When the wind farm becomes fully operational, expected in 2026, the project will generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of 1.3 million British homes1 and will be the second biggest offshore wind farm in the world. The new agreement was announced at the Haizea Wind Group facility in Bilbao where the manufacture of 50 monopiles is underway. From there, they will be shipped to the UK and used to support the wind turbines of the East Anglia THREE wind farm. Capacity from East Anglia THREE will support Amazon’s commitment to match all the electricity powering its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025 – five years ahead of the company’s original 2030 target. With more than 500 solar and wind projects globally, Amazon is also the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy since 2020. Expanding on their digital partnership, the companies today launched the global “Journey to Cloud” programme, by further migrating Iberdrola’s operations to the Cloud and leveraging AWS’s High-Performance Computing services big data services. Projects already delivered include the use of the Cloud to halve the time it takes to run complex weather simulation, and Amazon Sagemaker Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning services to maximise the efficiency of renewable energy assets worldwide. On Smart Grids, ScottishPower, an Iberdrola company, has built an Internet of things (IoT) platform to collect sensor data and improve the knowledge of its Low Voltage network in the UK. The two companies are designing projects to incorporate generative AI through Amazon Bedrock to improve the experience of its customers and support its field workers. Sergio Hernández de Deza, Director of Large Customers and Industrial Solutions at Iberdrola, said: “Companies like Amazon are leading the corporate drive to advance the renewable energy industry, and guarantee energy security, sustainability, price stability and competitiveness. Today, two global leaders join forces in an agreement that will mean more energy independence, more local jobs and lower emissions on both sides of the Atlantic. “We are excited to partner with Amazon in the field of generative AI and big data, allowing our business to innovate and scale at speed.” Lindsay McQuade, Director of Energy for EMEA at Amazon, said: “Amazon is enabling renewable projects worldwide because transitioning to carbon-free energy sources is one of the most impactful ways to lower carbon emissions and help us reach our Climate Pledge commitment of net-zero carbon by 2040. This is good for the planet and our customers. It is great to see Iberdrola using the cloud and AI to turbocharge their renewables business and deliver much-needed clean power to grids worldwide.” Two of Iberdrola’s previously announced offshore wind farms in Germany (Baltic Eagle and Windanker) will provide Amazon with 319 MW of clean energy (1.3 terawatt-hours each year), which is equivalent to the annual electricity needs of more than 314,000 European homes. In the US, Amazon has signed agreements which include Amazon Wind Farm Osagrove Flats wind farm for 150 MW (550 GWh/a) and the repowered Leaning Juniper IIA for 90 MW (240 GWh/a). The Osagrove Flats wind farm will have a capacity of 150 MW in LaSalle County, Illinois. Consisting of 45 turbines, it will be capable of powering 24,400 homes annually. The project will support around 300 jobs during construction. The Repowered Leaning Juniper IIA will have a capacity of 98.4 MW in Gilliam County, Oregon. Consisting of 40 turbines, it will be capable of powering 22,800 homes annually. The project will support 200 jobs during construction. READ MORE
-
19/03/2024Iberdrola’s General Shareholders' Meeting called to be held next May 17 At its meeting today, the Board of Directors of Iberdrola resolved to call the 2024 General Shareholders' Meeting of the company to be held on 17 May. Iberdrola has been committed for years to strengthening dialogue with its hundreds of thousands of shareholders and to achieving their maximum involvement in the company's most important decisions. For this reason, for the third consecutive year, the Board of Directors has proposed an involvement dividend, being the only Ibex 35 company that rewards its shareholders for participating in the company's most important event. If this new incentive is approved at the General Shareholders' Meeting on 17 May and a certain quorum is reached, Iberdrola will pay an additional amount to all its shareholders entitled to participate in the General Shareholders' Meeting. The percentage of the required quorum as well as the amount of this involvement dividend will be published in the coming days, along with the announcement of the meeting. The agenda of the forthcoming General Shareholders' Meeting includes 22 proposed resolutions, among which are amendments to the By-Laws, with the objectives of reinforcing the continuous and permanent engagement of shareholders in the life of the company and fostering their effective and sustainable involvement in the company. Also included are updates relating to Iberdrola's position as a holding company of the group and to the Director Remuneration Policy, given the deadline established for its review by the shareholders at the General Shareholders' Meeting. In addition, it is proposed to approve the annual accounts, the management report, the statement of non-financial information, the dividend for 2023, and two new editions of the "Iberdrola Flexible Remuneration" optional dividend system, as well as the re-election of three members of the Board of Directors. In particular, it is proposed to the shareholders at the General Shareholders' Meeting to re-elect Ms Nicola Mary Brewer and Ms Regina Helena Jorge Nunes as independent directors and Mr Iñigo Víctor de Oriol Ibarra as external director. It is also proposed to maintain the number of members of the Board of Directors at 14. In this way, the company consolidates the high level of independence of its members, as well as their diversity, at all levels. The wide range of age, experience and origin of the directors, with six nationalities present on the governing body, reflects the company's firm commitment to diversity. In addition, Iberdrola has a balanced presence of women and men on the Board of Directors: external directors are distributed 50/50 between both genders, and no gender has a representation of less than 42.86% of all directors. In fact, this company has been ahead of the requirements in force, complying uninterruptedly, since 2021, with the target of 40% of female directors set for the end of 2022 in the Good Governance Code of Listed Companies, and with the minimum presence of each gender in 40% of the non-executive members or 33% of the total members set for 30 June 2026 in Directive (EU) 2022/2381 of the European Parliament and of the Council. New share buyback programme At today's meeting, the Board of Directors also agreed to implement a new share buyback programme, which is scheduled to start on 23 April. The objective is to comply with the group's commitment to maintain a stable number of shares in circulation, on which earnings per share are estimated at around 6,240 million. To this end, subject to the agreement of the General Shareholders' Meeting, Iberdrola will redeem a maximum of 183,299,000 treasury shares, representing 2.854% of the company's current share capital, including those acquired through the buyback programme. The General Shareholders' Meeting, a sustainable event Iberdrola remains committed to its leadership in the sustainability of all its processes, including corporate events, as provided for in its Sustainable Management Policy. Its General Shareholders' Meeting would be certified as a sustainable event for the ninth consecutive year. This recognition is awarded by AENOR, based on compliance with the requirements of the ISO 20121 standard for sustainable event management, and by the Basque Government's public company IHOBE, through its "Erronka Garbia" seal. These certifications accredit that all of the Board's processes - from planning to after the event - follow sustainable criteria in order to ensure accessibility, minimise environmental impact, help the local community and groups in vulnerable situations and raise awareness of sustainability. Iberdrola was the first Ibex 35 company to obtain this certification in 2016 and to renew it in 2019. In 2020, the company was a pioneer in certifying the sustainable management of both the Board and the results presentations and Capital Markets Day. READ MORE
-
19/03/2024Iberdrola begins construction of Spain's most powerful charging station Iberdrola begins the construction of the most powerful charging station in Spain. The facility will have 47 charging points, with a total power of 5.6 MW, and a solar community that will provide access to self-consumption for 92 families, without the need for their own installation or investment. The charging station will have charging points with a wide range of power ratings, including 15 ultra-fast points that will form part of the alliance between Iberdrola and bp pulse for the development of high-power sustainable mobility . These points will be powered by 100% green energy – from renewable sources with a Guarantee of Origin certificate (GoO). The project is funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. Iberdrola's electric mobility network is the largest in Spain – with over 6,0006,000 public charging points with a 100% renewable Guarantee of Origin. In total, between public and private charging points, the company's network has 45,000 chargers. You can read the full story in the Iberdrola España Press room page. READ MORE
-
19/03/2024Neoenergia forms an alliance with Lollapalooza for decarbonisation Iberdrola, through its subsidiary in Brazil, Neoenergia, becomes a sponsor of the international Lollapalooza festival in São Paulo (which takes place from 22 to 24 March) to raise public awareness on reducing carbon emissions. The company announced this partnership with one of the largest international music festivals, expanding the #ForDecarbonisation movement and plans to install a lighting system toprovide clean energy. You can read the full story on our Neoenergia Press Room page. READ MORE
-
18/03/2024EIB and Iberdrola agree EUR 700 million green loan for electricity grid expansion in Spain The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved a €700 million green loan to expand Iberdrola's electricity distribution network in Spain. The first €500 million tranche of the loan was signed in Madrid by Jean-Christophe Laloux, the EIB's Director General for EU Operations; and José Sainz Armada, Iberdrola's Chief Finance, Control and Corporate Development Officer (CFO). The total investment associated with the project will be €1.44 billion; the other €740 million will be provided by Iberdrola. The project will contribute to increasing the efficiency and resilience of the electricity distribution network, facilitate connection, new electrification uses such as heat pumps and electric mobility, and allow more renewable energy sources to be integrated into the grid. This will contribute to accelerating the energy transition and advancing the decarbonisation of the Spanish electricity sector. The project will also boost industrialisation and economic and employment growth in Spain by maintaining around 10,000 jobs per year in 12 autonomous communities, throughout the implementation period. The financing agreement underlines the EIB's commitment to economic, social and territorial cohesion, as more than 65% of the total associated investment will go to regions whose per capita income is below the EU average. The 700 million loan approved is part of the EIB's program of actions to support the REPowerEU plan, and will support energy security by facilitating the integration of renewable energies and reducing the European Union's dependence on fossil fuel imports. "Supporting the modernisation of electricity grids to facilitate the integration of new renewable energy sources is one of the EIB's priorities included in its Climate Bank roadmap," commented Jean-Christophe Laloux, the EIB's Director General for EU Operations. This new financing agreement with Iberdrola will accelerate Spain's energy transition, ensure access to sustainable energy for all citizens and contribute to the EU's energy and strategic autonomy," added Laloux. José Sainz Armada, Iberdrola's Chief Finance, Control and Corporate Development Officer (CFO), said: "Thanks to this loan, the company will be able to accelerate the decarbonisation of industry – a key process for Spanish companies. With this new EIB financing we are furthering the development of smart grids in Spain, which are essential for facilitating the energy transition, boosting efficiency and improving the distribution network and the quality of supply. We are also helping to electrify the economy and reduce the country's energy dependence. EIB and energy security In 2023, the EIB Group provided more than €21 billion in financing for energy security in Europe. In Spain, this objective amounted to 4.5 billion in the same year, financing renewable energy projects, energy efficiency, electricity grids and storage systems, among others. These investments are helping Europe to accelerate the transition towards the use of sustainable energy and reduce its dependence on fossil fuel imports. In July 2023, the EIB's Board of Directors decided to increase to €45 billion the funds allocated to REPowerEU projects , the plan designed to end Europe's dependence on fossil fuel imports.The EIB has also decided to broaden the range of eligible sectors to boost financing for the EU manufacturing industry in strategic cutting-edge technologies with zero net carbon emissions, as well as the extraction, processing and recycling of key raw materials. This additional funding will be distributed between now and 2027 and, in total, is expected to use more than €150 billion in investments in the targeted sectors. More information on the EIB's support to the energy sector can be found here . Electricity distribution networks - a key pillar of the energy transition Electricity grids are the necessary platform to move towards a decarbonised economy, enabling the integration of more renewables, the attraction of industry, sustainable mobility, smart cities and self-consumption. Distribution grids are a key part of enabling initiatives and trends that are changing the economy, such as electric mobility, heat pumps, self-consumption and smart cities. The European Union has recently increased the target for total renewable energy consumption in Europe to 42.5% by 2030, up from 32% previously. In order to bring renewables to customers and businesses, it is estimated that for every euro invested in renewable generation, around one euro of investment in distribution networks is needed. Iberdrola operates one of the most important electricity distribution systems in the world. The company already has more than 1.3 million kilometres of power lines and over 4,500 substations in Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil – which distribute electricity to more than 35 million people worldwide. Iberdrola's commitment to sustainable financing and the decarbonization of the country Iberdrola continues to advance in its commitment to sustainability – based on the electrification of the economy – through clean energy, and oriented towards the fight against climate change and the creation of wealth and employment in the communities in which it operates. At the end of 2023, the Group already had over €54.4 billion in green or sustainability-linked financing, of which more than €20.2 billion in green bonds. READ MORE
