Iberdrola is boosting its renewables investments in Castilla y León, as a part of its plans to contribute towards the green recovery and create opportunities for sustainable economic growth in the area, and the transformation of the Velilla region, Spain.
Iberdrola is to develop more than 1,800 MW in the community over the coming years in renewable projects – wind and photovoltaic – for which it will allocate investments in excess of €1.3 billion. This volume of resources will galvanize the industrial fabric and create 18,000 jobs, according to estimates by the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC).
In Velilla, the company will build the largest photovoltaic plant in the region, with a total of 400 MW of installed capacity, making it also one of the largest in Spain. These actions will involve an investment of €300 million and, according to calculations used by the PNIEC, create over 4,000 jobs.
Its transformation plan in the area also includes investments in smart grids and sustainable mobility, the installation of a waste assessment plant, training programmes and the creation of a Civic Innovation Platform to incentivise entrepreneurship in the region.
Iberdrola has over 650 MW of renewable energy under construction and in the pipeline in the region, in wind and photovoltaic projects. The company has just begun work on the Herrera wind power complex, with the Spanish market’s most powerful wind turbines to date, and the Fuenteblanca plant; and is working on the Buniel and Valdemoro wind power schemes, as well as three photovoltaic plants of over 400 MW, including a solar plant in Ciudad Rodrigo.
In addition, Iberdrola is backing a renewables investment plan in the area with the development of a portfolio of wind power and photovoltaic projects currently totaling more than 1,100 MW, the plans for which will begin this year for roll-out from 2022.
Iberdrola’s transformation plan for the Velilla region includes the establishment of a Civic Innovation Platform to focus enterprise initiatives – the key to innovation for the energy transition – to act as a catalyst in the processes of collaboration between society, public entities and businesses. The intention is to incentivise entrepreneurs and start-ups that are considering setting up in the region and to study finance options for R+D+i initiatives from local providers.
The company will make available to the community a team made up of academics from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid who are part of EIT Climate-KIC, a knowledge and innovation network which is an offshoot of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and dedicated to accelerating the transition towards a decarbonized economy.
The initiatives in this field also include the promotion of training and awareness programmes aimed both at Dual Professional Training and at institutes and universities in the area, with the aim of improving employability.
