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Madrid. Iberdrola launches the new brand for its electricity distribution activity in Spain to continue leading the new cleaner, more efficient and more sustainable energy model. The new brand will be ‘i-DE, Smart Electricity Networks’ replacing Iberdrola Distribución Eléctrica.

i-DE, which has more than 11 million connection points, focuses on three areas: service improvement (quality of supply and improved customer service), caring for the environment (protecting fauna and biodiversity) and the energy transition, facilitating the integration of more renewables, as well as sustainable mobility, smart cities and decentralised consumption by using smart networks.

“The transformation of the networks into a smart infrastructure that is safer and more reliable is putting consumers at the centre of our activity, giving them greater capacity for decision-making and connectivity”, explained Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros, CEO of i-DE. “Networks are the circulatory system of the energy model and the platform necessary for the transition toward a decarbonised economy based on renewable energies. Leading this transition and making it a reality requires a tariff framework that fosters quality and efficiency, incentivises digitalisation and promotes innovation”.

Investments of €2 billion in service quality, digitalisation and connection of supplies and renewables

Iberdrola’s activity in distribution networks includes the planning, construction and maintenance of power lines, substations, transformer stations and other infrastructures, as well as operating the system in a way that efficiently distributes energy among the agents that produce and consume it.

i-DE operates a distribution system consisting of 270,000 km of power lines in Spain present in 10 autonomous communities and 25 provinces, serving a population of 17 million. In 2018, the company recorded the best supply quality in its history, a 37% improvement on the previous year. I-DE’s network is one of the most digitalised, most efficient and with the best service quality in Europe* and has more distributed generation plants connected to its networks (more than 41,000) than any other distribution company in Spain.

In 2018, Iberdrola’s distribution business invested almost €500 million in Spain and plans to allocate almost €2 billion in the period 2018-2022 to improving service quality, creating new supply connections and renewable generation, and digitalising the network.

Some of the most high-profile projects in 2018 were (1) improving its customer service processes and channels, especially digital; (2) finalising the deployment of almost 11 million smart meters, which incorporate remote management capabilities; and (3) monitoring and automation of the network, which now has 135,000 monitoring and remote operation elements.

A driver of the economy: jobs and purchases from suppliers

i-DE is also a significant driver of the Spanish economy, generating more than 10,000 jobs (both direct and through its suppliers).

In 2018, the company made purchases totalling €500 million from 2,000 local companies.

_{*Report ‘Retribución comparada de la distribución eléctrica en Europa’. KPMG, April 2018}