Press releases
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13/01/2023HM the King of Spain chairs our "Learning, Jobs and Excellence" ceremony HM the King of Spain, accompanied by the Executive Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, presided over a day of support for young talent and excellence, during which he presented the Scholarships related to the various training programmes promoted by Iberdrola and its Foundation for 2022-2023. During the event, which took place at the company's headquarters, Galán thanked the Crown for its "continued involvement in promoting talent and employability" while stating that, for Iberdrola, "people are at the centre of all economic and social activity, and this is what I believe really makes a company great, its social commitment and its sensitivity to the needs of the environment, its social dividend". Iberdrola's social dividend encompasses its environmental commitment; its 12,000 volunteers; the more than €350 million spent annually on innovation; and the fact that, over the past twelve months alone, close to 4,500 new professionals have joined the group. Iberdrola continues to have a pull effect on thousands of suppliers through its global investments and procurement, valued at approximately €18 billion, with which it supports more than 400,000 jobs across its value chain. Moreover, through this activity, it contributed more than €7.8 billion to taxation authorities in 2022. The company promotes, attracts, and manages talent through different processes and programmes implemented by its Foundation and its Talent area. Today, men and women who are an example of success in several different fields took the floor to share their experiences after receiving training funded by the company's post-graduate scholarships and through the Impulsa Programme, the Electricians' School and the agreement signed between the electricity company and UNICEF, among others. Finally, the scholarship beneficiaries received from His Majesty the King the diploma certifying the award of the various grants created by Iberdrola with the aim of promoting talent and encouraging excellence in the training of new generations. The Scholarships include the following programmes: * Iberdrola International Master's Scholarship Programme : with the current call for applications for Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Brazil, young people will boost their professional careers thanks to this line of financial support. They will complete their postgraduate training at prestigious universities with professional opportunities for the future. * The Energy for Future Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme benefits postdoctoral researchers for 5 years who will carry out their work on technologies associated with the energy transition in collaboration with prestigious universities in Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United States and Mexico. * The Fulbright Commission Scholarships, a line of postgraduate scholarships in the United States in fields related to Iberdrola's activities in energy, technology and the environment. * The scholarships awarded in collaboration with Fundación Carolina, a programme of postgraduate scholarships at universities in Spain to further the studies of university graduates from Latin America in areas related to energy and climate change. * Grants for Training and Research in Art Restoration with the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum and the Prado Museum for young restorers in these internationally renowned art galleries. In addition to the scholarships awarded today, Iberdrola maintains, among others, a line of funds for the Promotion of STEM among young people from socioeconomically vulnerable backgrounds; the ICAI Scholarship programme, aimed at financing university studies related to the energy sector for students with limited economic resources; and the Scholarships developed together with the Spanish Paralympic Committee, aimed at facilitating the professional training of athletes aimed at their integration in the labour market once their sports careers have ended. Likewise, in a firm commitment by the Iberdrola group to promote young talent, 300 places have been offered in the two calls for its International Graduate Programme . On the other hand, and as proof of Iberdrola's interest in training young people, in 2022 the company has taken on more than 1,600 young interns who have been able to take their first professional steps at a leading company in the energy sector and develop new skills and abilities that will serve to boost their future employment. In this regard, more than 30,000 young people have joined Iberdrola in the last decade, some of whom did so thanks to a scholarship and are already occupying important positions in the company. In addition to the young scholarship recipients, the event was attended by the Secretary of State for Education, José Manuel Bar Cendón; the Ambassador of Qatar, Abdulla bin Ibrahim Abdulrahman Sultan Al Hamar; the Ambassador of Australia, Sophia Ross McIntyre; the President of the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, Enrique Sanz Giménez-Rico; as well as members of Iberdrola’s Board of Directors and senior management team. READ MORE
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12/01/2023We begin commissioning at Korytnica II wind farm in Poland Iberdrola has begun commissioning of Polish wind farm Korytnica II, located 80 km from Warsaw in the province of Węgrów, Mazowieckie region. The wind farm comprises 14 Vestas V126 wind turbines, with a hub height of 132 metres and 3.6 MW unit capacity, bringing total capacity of 50.4 MW. In early November, the Korytnica II part at the Pniewnik substation was energised. This enabled first export of power on 20th December, two weeks ahead of schedule, thanks to the excellent performance of Iberdrola team. During the execution of civil works at Korytnica II, several challenges were overcome to reduce the project’s carbon footprint, including the improvement of soil conditions in some of the foundations and the stabilisation of access roads with soil-cement to avoid the transportation of scarce gravel from hundreds of kilometres away. Also, circa 70% of the medium voltage trench was piped with directional drilling, as it had to pass through several locations. Korytnica II's output will be sold through a power purchase agreement (PPA) to Norway's Statkraft, backed by a contract for difference (CFD) obtained in the fourth auction held in Poland in June 2021. Full operation of this facility, scheduled for the first quarter of 2023, will bring Iberdrola's onshore wind capacity in Poland to 163 MW. The company already operates the Zopowy wind farm (30 MW) in the Opole region and the aforementioned Korytnica I (82.5 MW). Ramping up investment in renewable energy The Iberdrola group began its commitment to renewable energy more than two decades ago as a fundamental pillar on which to build its clean, reliable and competitive business model. Thanks to this vision, the company is today a leader in renewable energies, with more than 39,000 MW of renewable capacity installed worldwide. The company has established itself as a wind energy global benchmark, with more than 15,000 wind turbines in operation worldwide. Iberdrola has just announced a global investment of €17 billion in renewable energy by 2025, 24% of which will be earmarked for European Union countries, excluding Spain. Of the total, more than €4.2 billion will be allocated to onshore wind projects . The group expects to increase its installed renewable capacity by 12,100 MW in the coming years – 3,100 MW of onshore wind – reaching 52,000 MW in 2025. READ MORE
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11/01/2023We get the environmental green light for one of the largest photovoltaic projects in Spain Iberdrola has obtained a favourable Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the development of one of the largest photovoltaic projects in Castilla y León, which will be located in the municipality of Villalba de Guardo in the province of Palencia. This new solar energy production facility, which will have a capacity of 350 megawatts (MW), will generate enough clean energy to supply 180,000 homes per year and prevent the emission of 85,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere per year. With an investment of €217 million, the construction of this photovoltaic plant in a just transition zone with more than 630,000 modules will have a significant local component. It is expected that up to 850 professionals will be involved in the project during peak periods. It will also have a regional vision; the substation will be built by the Salamanca company Tecinsa and the metal supports of the plant's structure will be built by Made Tower, located in Medina del Campo, Valladolid. In addition, different regional and national suppliers will produce different components or carry out their electrical infrastructures, such as the overhead line, which will be provided by the Asturian supplier Tensa, and the power transformers and isolating switches by the Andalusian company Hitachi and the Basque company Mesa, respectively. Investments in 100% renewable projects, boosting the business fabric and local employment based on green principles, innovation and support for entrepreneurship are the pillars on which Iberdrola is working to transform the region of Velilla del Río Carrión, which it is actively accompanying in its decarbonisation process. The construction of the Virgen de Areños III photovoltaic plant begins. Iberdrola has started work on its other photovoltaic plant in the region, Virgen de Areños III (50 MW), located in the Acera de la Vega district of the municipality of Villota del Páramo, which was given the green environmental light a few months ago. Once operational, the facility will produce 85,902 MWh/year, the equivalent of supplying 26,300 homes, and will prevent the emission of around 12,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The investment amounts to €27.5 million; there will be more than 90,000 photovoltaic modules and up to 250 professionals will work on the project during peak periods. In this case, the company Made Tower, located in Medina del Campo, Valladolid, will also be responsible for the metal supports of the plant's structure. A new energy landscape that fixes population in rural areas With these new plants, Iberdrola will reinforce its commitment to Castilla y León, which is consolidating its position as a major centre for renewable energy developments in the company's investment cycle to 2025, where it already manages more than 5,100 MW, making it the autonomous community with the most 'green' megawatts installed by the company. Iberdrola promotes renewable energies as an engine for rural development, and in this way, the villages emerge as a guarantee for the future. This is the case of the villages of Castilla y León, surrounded by wind farms and photovoltaic plants that Iberdrola is promoting and which will contribute to a sustainable recovery, allowing the creation of local employment. In addition, the company has fully integrated the conservation of ecosystem biodiversity into its strategy, demonstrating that competitive, clean and sustainable energy supply can effectively coexist with environmental balance. READ MORE
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10/01/2023European Commissioner Thierry Breton meets with Ignacio Galán at Iberdrola's Innovation and Training Campus The European Commissioner for Industry, Thierry Breton, visited Iberdrola's Innovation and Training Campus in San Agustín del Guadalix, Madrid. In the current energy context, Breton spoke with the company's Executive Chairman, Ignacio Galán, about the measures and innovations needed to promote the deployment of renewable energies, grids, energy storage and green hydrogen in order to reduce Europe's external dependence. The Executive Chairman of Iberdrola showed the European Commissioner the facilities of the Iberdrola Campus, where more than 13,000 people receive training each year in technological and technical aspects related to electricity, management and other subjects such as health and safety. In the Assembly Hall they attended the explanation given to a group of young people with cognitive difficulties about the different sources of electricity generation. In the Accelerator Room they discovered innovative projects, such as the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub's fault detection robot. And in the training workshops they visited the employees' courses before signing the book of honor. READ MORE
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05/01/2023We install our first floating solar PV power plant in Brazil The Iberdrola group plans to install in Brazil, through its subsidiary Neoenergia, the company's first floating photovoltaic plant in the world. The project will be built on the water surface of the Xaréu dam on the island of Fernando de Noronha, recognised by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site, where Iberdrola is developing various sustainable energy solutions. This initiative is carried out together with Companhia Pernambucana de Saneamento (Compesa), which operates the water and sewage distribution network throughout the island, and with the support of the Energy Efficiency Programme regulated by the Brazilian National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel). With an output of 630 kilowatts (kW), the floating plant will generate around 1,240 megawatt hours (MWh) of green energy per year, enough to cover, with zero-kilometre electricity supply, more than 50% of Compesa's energy consumption on the island. The installation will have around 940 panels that will prevent the emission into the atmosphere of more than 1,660 tonnes of CO2 per year. The construction of this project, which is expected to begin before the end of the year, will involve an investment of 2 million euros. The development of its first floating solar power plant will allow the Iberdrola group to test this new technology and analyse its possible expansion. Energy innovations at the service of the community This plant joins other sustainable projects developed by the company to provide renewable solutions and promote the preservation of the ecosystem of the island, the only inhabited island of the volcanic archipelago located in the northeast of Brazil, in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Among these initiatives is the recently inaugurated Vacaria solar plant. This is the first of two solar farms, each with a capacity of 50 kW, designed to supply electric vehicles exclusively. In the event of a surplus, the surplus energy will be fed into the distribution grid. The construction of these facilities is part of the 'Senda Verde' project developed by the Iberdrola group within the Aneel R&D Programme, in which it has partners such as Renault and the Centre for Telecommunications Research and Development (CPqD), among others. Thanks to this initiative, the island already has ten electric vehicles for tourist and district administration uses. In addition, 12 new charging points are planned to be installed at strategic locations. The company also intends to promote the use of electric bicycles among tourists and residents of Fernando de Noronha , which covers an area of approximately 17 square kilometres. To this end, it has begun installing 24 charging points at four stations. The energy consumed by this equipment - which will be donated to the Pernambuco State Government - will be generated by solar panels installed on the roof of the structures, allowing them to be used free of charge. The group has also promoted the development of small renewable sources to displace the use of diesel generators, which are responsible for 80% of the energy consumed on the island. To this end, the company has implemented nine self-consumption photovoltaic systems in homes, businesses, public bodies and non-governmental organisations. In addition, it has the Noronha I and II solar plants which, with a generation of 100 MWh per month, cover around 10% of the island's energy needs. These parks have a storage system with two lithium-ion batteries that allows for the storage of unconsumed solar energy for use during peak demand. The territory of Fernando de Noronha was also the first in the northeast of Brazil to have smart grids, and for the past year it has had a completely renovated fleet of meters. The new equipment allows remote access, better service in the event of incidents and the possibility of connecting green self-consumption equipment. In addition to these measures, other initiatives include the replacement of old refrigerators with more efficient models and the donation of energy-saving light bulbs to residents of the archipelago. This set of sustainable mobility actions, technological innovation and expansion of clean energy sources are a demonstration of the viability of a clean and reliable business model that contributes to decarbonisation and energy self-sufficiency in an isolated ecosystem such as Noronha. READ MORE
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04/01/2023We increase the interim dividend to 0.18 euros gross per share Iberdrola's interim dividend for 2022 will amount to EUR 0.18 gross per share, as reported today to the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). Investors opting for the cash dividend will receive the corresponding amount on 31 January. The company once again offers its shareholders three options in this edition of Iberdrola Flexible Remuneration: to receive the interim dividend in cash - the aforementioned 0.18 euros gross per share -; to sell their allocation rights on the market; or to obtain new bonus shares in the group free of charge. This interim dividend for 2022 will be completed with the final dividend that the company expects to pay in July, if approved by the company's General Shareholders' Meeting. Shareholders who opt for the option to receive new shares must hold 60 free allotment rights in order to receive a new share in the company. The three options - to receive the interim dividend in cash, to sell the rights in the market or to receive new Iberdrola shares - are combinable, so the shareholder could choose one of the alternatives or combine them according to his or her preferences. The Iberdrola Flexible Remuneration system assigns by default the option to receive new shares, so those shareholders who prefer to receive their remuneration in cash must notify their bank between 6 and 19 January. In order to implement this new edition of the remuneration system, a capital increase with a maximum reference market value of €1.165 billion will be carried out. Dividend Calendar 6 January 2023 Ex-dividend date (ex-date) as from which Iberdrola shares are traded without the right to participate in the "Iberdrola Flexible Remuneration" system. Commencement of the election period and trading period for free allocation rights. 19 January 2023 End of the common election period and the trading period for free-of-charge allocation rights. 31 January 2023 Payment of interim dividend to shareholders who have opted to receive cash through this option. 1 February 2023 Expected trading commencement date of the new shares. READ MORE
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02/01/2023We have completed the first phase of construction of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm Iberdrola is progressing according to plan in the construction project in the waters off Brittany in France for the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm . The company has completed the first campaign of the works with the installation of 65% of the piles and 40% of the offshore wind platforms of the plant. These elements have been manufactured at Windar's facilities in Avilés and Navantia's in Fene, respectively. In total, 124 piles have already been installed, which will anchor the substation and 40 of the 62 wind turbines of the wind farm to the seabed. These cylindrical pieces of steel, eache 2.6 meters in diameter and weighing 150 tonnes, are between 18 and 47 meters long. On them are fitted, with milimetre precision, each of the three-legged platforms that will support the turbines During this first phase, which has just been completed, the installation of 24 of these platforms has also been completed (about 40% of the total planned). These triangular-based foundations are up to 75 meters high, 25 meters wide and weigh 1,150 tonnes. They are assembled in three stages. The first stage consists of lifting the structure from a transport barge and placing it on site with a crane. During the second stage, the three legs of the frame are inserted into the piles previously fixed to the seabed, ready for the subsequent sealing of the lower parts of the legs. Thanks to their lattice structure, the platforms have a very limited impact on the environment, facilitating the circulation of water masses and biodiversity, while promoting the artificial reef effect. During the month of January, the project will continue with the installation of the cabling between wind turbines, depending on weather conditions. In mid-January 2023, work is scheduled to begin on laying the wind farm's interconnection cable. In total, 90 kilometers of 66 kV high-voltage alternating current interconnection cables will be commissioned. Drilling and pile installation work will resume in the first quarter, when anchoring of the remaining 66 piles will begin. Thus, in the second half of the year, work on the offshore wind platforms will resume and the assembly of the wind turbines will begin. Industry's driving force The contract for the construction of Saint-Brieuc - valued at €350 million - has been the largest order to date executed by the Navantia and Windar partnership in offshore wind power. This project has generated 1,250 direct jobs in Avilés and Fene. In addition, Navantia-Windar has opened a plant in Brest, France, where the 186 stabbings and intermediate platforms of the transition pieces and the lattice structure for 34 of the 62 structures of the park have been manufactured, generating 250 jobs. Thanks to the contracts awarded by Iberdrola, Navantia has become a global benchmark in the construction of offshore wind power components and the leading supplier of this type of structures in France, with one of the greatest development potentials in this industry in Europe. In total, Iberdrola has already awarded Navantia-Windar contracts worth more than 1 billion euros, including the award to Windar of the transition parts for the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm in Germany and Vineyard Wind 1 in the United States, as well as the orders already completed for Wikinger in the Baltic Sea and East Anglia One in the United Kingdom. This collaboration is an example of Iberdrola's commitment to generate alliances with suppliers as an opportunity to develop a value chain in the country and position Spanish industry as an international benchmark in green projects. Iberdrola group's fourth offshore wind farm Saint-Brieuc will be the Iberdrola group's first large offshore wind farm in France, and the company's fourth of this technology in operation. With almost 500 MW of capacity, it will generate enough clean energy to meet the electricity consumption of 835,000 people, once it comes into operation in 2023. Located some 16 kilometers from the coast, it will cover an area of 75 square kilometers. Its construction represents an overall investment of close to €2.5 billion. This new facility demonstrates Iberdrola's commitment to the French market, where the company plans to invest some €4 billion by 2025, mainly in renewable projects. The plant will become the company's fourth offshore wind farm in operation, following West of Duddon Sands, located in the Irish Sea; Wikinger, in the Baltic Sea; and East Anglia ONE, one of the world's largest offshore wind developments, located in the southern North Sea. Offshore wind power is one of the keys to Iberdrola's growth. Just as the group was a pioneer in its commitment to onshore wind power two decades ago, the company is leading the development of offshore wind power. Focused on countries with ambitious renewable targets, the company has a significant portfolio of projects in Germany, Japan, Sweden, Ireland, Poland, Taiwan and the Philippines, the United States and the United Kingdom. READ MORE
