Sponsored by Iberdrola España, the Q-Cero Alliance addresses the challenges of decarbonisation to achieve a more sustainable and competitive industry in Castile and León

Industry is facing a major challenge: decarbonisation to improve the sustainability of their processes without losing their competitive edge. The Q-Cero Alliance, the Castilla and León Business Association and Iberdrola España brought together around 100 professionals from different production sectors today at the conference ‘For a Decarbonised and Competitive Industry: Opportunities for Castilla and León'.

The Regional Minister of Economy and Finance of the Regional Government of Castilla and 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 producing their own power and improving efficiency.

Iberdrola España's representative in Castilla and León, Miguel Calvo, emphasised that decarbonisation must be the basis for the economy’s reindustrialisation, which will increase the country's competitiveness. To do so public–private partnerships are essential. He also stressed that all growing industries will need more electricity, which will require increased investment in grids, as they are the backbone of industrial decarbonisation. Only modern, digitised and resilient grids will allow large industrial projects to connect and guarantee efficient, secure and sustainable supply.
 

The president of Castilla and León Business Association, Santiago Aparicio, welcomed all attendees and expressed his gratitude for the choice of the headquarters of the Castilla and León Business Association as the venue for sharing experiences between companies. He also stressed that industrial decarbonisation is an important challenge and issue 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 industries. She believes that making this decarbonisation a factor in strengthening companies’ competitiveness is a collective and unifying challenge, as there is no clear solution and it can’t be tackled by any single actor in isolation. She stressed that to move forward more quickly, we need to establish connections between all players 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 partnering so that industries in the region have the technical and financial support they need to tackle this transition with confidence and without losing their productive capacity.
 

Roberto Getino, head of the Grants and Registries Department of the Regional Energy Agency of Castile and León (EREN), said that energy saving certificates are a flexible and effective tool to help industrial companies reduce their energy consumption, improve their competitiveness and contribute to attaining sustainability objectives. EREN promotes an ecosystem of aid which, together with certificates, enables industries to undertake investments in energy efficiency with greater technical security and economic return, speeding up their transition to more sustainable production models.

The event featured a round table discussion entitled ‘Overview of Industrial Decarbonisation: Experiences’. It was moderated by the coordinator of the Q-Cero Alliance, María Suarez Bonet, and 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 industries, but that they need to be consolidated and made accessible to not undermine company competitiveness.
 

They also showed the real progress they have made in decarbonising their processes, as well as their plans for the future. They referred to other factors and measures that should be implemented to continue advancing along this path.

This conference was an opportunity to understand the present and future of industrial decarbonisation in the community, to share experiences, analyse barriers, identify perspectives and learn how industry and government can work hand in hand to achieve these ambitious goals and take advantage of all the opportunities that arise.