Madrid, 5 (Europe Press)
Iberdrola plans to invest more than 4,000 million euros in innovation, development and research (R+D+i) activities by 2030, thus doubling its investment in this area by the end of the decade, the company said.
Specifically, the energy company intends to dedicate these resources mainly to projects related to renewable energies, smart grids, digital transformation, green hydrogen and the development of customized solutions for its customers.
Iberdrola, the private ‘utility’ in the world that invests the most in R + D + i, according to data from the European Commission’s ‘The 2021 Industrial Investment Scoreboard’ report, has allocated 2,000 million euros in the past decade, ten years.
In 2021, the group invested 337.5 million in R + D + i, up 15% from the previous year, and the number of innovative projects under implementation reached 250.
The strategic plan to 2025 presented on November 9 expects the investment to rise to 420 million that year and reach 550 million annually in 2030. The R&D and innovation strategy is also included in the 2020-2022 Innovation Report, which was recently published by the company.
Solutions to lead decarbonisation
Similarly, the company has led the development of solutions that promote decarbonization such as smart grids, with initiatives such as the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub. Located in Bilbao, the center has become an international standard and will allow it to respond to the challenges of the energy transition.
At the center, more than 120 projects worth €130 million have already been identified to develop solutions for the digitization of grids, the integration of renewable energy sources, the deployment of electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
In renewables the push given in recent years stands out for offshore wind power, of which it already has operating assets and those under advanced construction in the US, UK, France, Germany, and there are others under development, both in a fixed and floating way, in those countries The same and also in Sweden, Poland, Norway or Japan.
The company is also betting on pumped hydroelectric storage, a technology in which it recently opened the Tâmega gigabattery, one of the main projects in Europe in the past 25 years; Or to promote new uses of electricity, such as the production of green hydrogen, a new energy carrier in which Iberdrola already has the largest plant for industrial use on our continent.
In addition, it cultivates a culture based on creativity. To this end, the Innovation and Training Campus, a 180,000 square meter complex with state-of-the-art facilities in San Agustin del Guadalex (Madrid), has positioned itself as the company’s global center for knowledge, innovation and employment.
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