News

Dialogue and collaboration. These were the two messages that Executive Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, wanted to highlight at the first edition of the CONVIVE Awards, held today in Mérida. These awards, which were created with the aim of advancing the energy transition towards decarbonisation, recognise the best initiatives for the coexistence of renewable energies, nature and people.

Ignacio Galán stated that Iberdrola aims to "mobilise society as a whole against climate change. We don't have another planet, we have to take care of this one. The problem can be solved by all of us".  The Executive Chairman recalled that the company has been living in harmony with the environment for over 100 years, facilitating the implementation of renewable energies and promoting care for biodiversity.

Iberdrola has organised these Awards together with the Centre for Innovation in Technology for Human Development of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (itdUPM). The awards recognise those initiatives, alliances, companies, actions or local entities that exemplify the integration of renewable energies with socio-economic development and biodiversity conservation in Spain.

The award winners were:

• Local entities, Pueblo Solar de Cedillo and Ayuntamiento Revilla Vallejera.
• Citizen participation, Government of Navarre
• Research, knowledge and innovation, International Institute of Law and Environment.
• Social and business entrepreneurship, Faramax
• Communication and awareness-raising, EFEverde
• Extraordinary award, SEO BirdLife

The company believes that progress in decarbonisation is essential to achieve a more sustainable economy and meet climate goals. As a world leader in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has created the CONVIVE Programme, a line of continuous improvement that integrates all initiatives and alliances that build bridges towards an energy transition in harmony with nature and people. 

The energy group aims to develop positive impacts on local communities to contribute to rural economic development and the structuring of the territory. It also seeks, with this initiative, to create a benefit for biodiversity because where there are renewables, there is better conservation of the territory and native wild plant species grow again, which in turn attract native animal species.

At a global level, this project contributes to the fight against climate change and, at a local level, it generates economic activity and improves biodiversity. Iberdrola also wants to publicise this proposal to improve social acceptance of renewable energies. 

The event was attended by the President of the Regional Government of Extremadura and Secretary General of the regional PSOE, Guillermo Fernández Vara, who accompanied Iberdrola's Chairman at the awards ceremony, and the President of the Extremadura PP and candidate for President of the regional Executive, María Guardiola.
 

An example of coexistence

Iberdrola's CONVIVE Programme was created with the aim of facilitating the acceleration of the development of renewable energies in Spain, improving their contribution to territories and people and to biodiversity. 

This programme pursues two objectives: on the one hand, an internal one, promoting continuous improvement and the best practices available in the integration of renewables in the environment. On the other hand, an external one, making a positive contribution to local development and the conservation of biodiversity through collaboration and the establishment of alliances. 

These actions help to establish long-term and sustainable relationships with the environment surrounding our plants, contributing to the social licence of the projects by working hand in hand with the public, institutions, administration, etc., at all times.

This programme is structured on the basis of three lines of action: 

1. Contributing to socio-economic development: Initiatives that make possible the contribution of the projects to economic and social development at a local level, as well as at a national level. 
2. Protecting and improving biodiversity: Actions that contribute to the integration of the facilities in the territory and landscape, improving their contribution to biodiversity and their environmental impact. 
3. Learning from experts: Improving the impact of renewables and the social acceptance of the energy transition through collaboration with third parties.

Some examples of these initiatives are: the integration of livestock and agricultural activities around the facilities, development of beekeeping activities and new developments in agrovoltaics; the development of the value chain of the renewable sector and suppliers at local level; the creation of energy communities and helping municipalities to develop development plans; participation in alliances to define best practices in renewable projects, develop new industrial activity and innovation, etc. 

The winners will become part of the winners' repository, with special recognition and the possibility of other elements of visibility for their project. There is no financial remuneration for the award.