Iberdrola Spain leads the Q-Cero Alliance to tackle decarbonisation
Industrial production sectors are facing a major challenge: decarbonisation to improve the sustainability of their processes without losing competitiveness. For this reason, the Q-Zero Alliance, CEOE Castile and León and Iberdrola Spain have brought together nearly a hundred professionals from different production sectors at the conference ‘Towards a decarbonised and competitive industry: Opportunities for Castile and León’.
The Regional Minister of Economy and Finance of the Junta de Castilla y León, Carlos Fernández Carriedo, highlighted in his opening speech that industrial decarbonisation is not only an environmental requirement, but also a strategic opportunity to improve the competitiveness of companies in the region through energy self-consumption and efficiency.
For his part, the Iberdrola Spain representative in Castile and León, Miguel Calvo, emphasised that decarbonisation must be the basis for the reindustrialisation of the economy, which will increase the country's competitiveness, for which public-private collaboration is essential. He also stressed that all growing industries will need more electricity, which will require increased investment in networks, as these are the backbone of industrial decarbonisation. Only modern, digitised and resilient networks will enable large industrial projects to be connected and guarantee an efficient, secure and sustainable supply.
The president of CEOE Castilla y León, Santiago Aparicio, welcomed all attendees and expressed his gratitude for the choice of the headquarters of the Confederation of Business Organisations of Castilla y León as the venue for sharing experiences between companies. He also emphasised that industrial decarbonisation is a major challenge for SMEs in the region, which need not only a stable regulatory framework but also specific support to undertake the investments required for this transformation.
For the coordinator of the Q-Zero Alliance, María Suarez Bonet, this organisation, which started with 40 members and now has more than 140, wants to showcase and advance the various options for achieving decarbonisation in different industrial sectors. She believes that making this decarbonisation a factor in strengthening the competitiveness of companies is a collective and unifying challenge, as there is no clear solution and it cannot be tackled by any single actor in isolation. In this regard, she stresses that in order to make faster progress, it is necessary to establish connections between all stakeholders and facilitate coordinated action, especially between heat consumers and suppliers of decarbonisation solutions and technologies.
Mariano Muñoz, Director General of Industry for the Regional Government of Castile and León, has encouraged continued collaboration so that industries in the region have the technical and financial support they need to tackle this transition with confidence and without losing productive capacity.
Roberto Getino, head of the Grants and Registries Department of the Regional Energy Agency of Castile and León (EREN), shared that Energy Saving Certificates (CAEs) represent an agile and effective tool for industrial companies to reduce their energy consumption, improve their competitiveness and, at the same time, contribute to sustainability objectives. EREN promotes an ecosystem of aid which, together with CAEs, allows industries to undertake investments in energy efficiency with greater technical security and economic return, thus accelerating their transition towards more sustainable production models.
The event featured a round table discussion entitled: Overview of industrial decarbonisation. Experiences, moderated by the coordinator of the Q-Cero Alliance, María Suarez Bonet, in which Jesús Oliver (Verescence); Marta Pérez (Bridgestone); Oscar J. Esteban (Entrepinares Group), and Alejandro Rodríguez (Ecoforest) addressed the different needs of various industrial sectors, as not all industries have the same demands. They concluded that there are many technologies already in place in different sectors, but that they need to be consolidated and made accessible so as not to undermine the competitiveness of companies.
They also highlighted the real progress they have made in decarbonising their processes, as well as their plans for the future. They also referred to other factors and measures that should be implemented in order to continue advancing along this path.
This conference has been an opportunity to understand the present and future of industrial decarbonisation in the community, to share experiences, analyse barriers, identify perspectives and learn, between industries and administrations, to work hand in hand to achieve these ambitious goals and take advantage of all the opportunities that arise.
Opportunity for energy transition
The Q-Cero Alliance has established itself as a collaborative space open to all stakeholders involved in the decarbonisation of thermal demand. Its aim is to promote dialogue, share achievements, identify barriers and propose solutions that accelerate decarbonisation in different industrial sectors, thereby encouraging competitiveness.
With more than 140 member organisations, the alliance promotes specific initiatives that contribute to realising the opportunities for heat decarbonisation.
This vision is aligned with the European Union's Clean Industrial Deal, which promotes a more competitive and sustainable industry through electrification, efficiency and the use of decarbonised energy vectors. The decarbonisation of heat is not only key to environmental protection, but also to strengthening energy autonomy, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and positioning Spanish industry as a benchmark for innovation and sustainability.