Led by Iberdrola España, the Q-Cero Alliance is addressing the challenges of industrial electrification in Navarre to accelerate the region's energy transition

In Navarre 90% of the distribution network nodes are already saturated, preventing the connection of new electricity demand
A conference organized by the Navarre Chamber of Commerce and the Q-Cero Alliance, in collaboration with Iberdrola España, highlights the opportunities of decarbonization for the Navarre economy

Electrification

Auditorium with attendees seated, facing three speakers at a panel in front of a screen displaying an Alianza Q-Cero and Iberdrola presentation.

The event brought together institutional representatives, industrial companies, energy experts and European funding organizations

The Navarre Chamber of Commerce and the Q-Cero Alliance, in collaboration with Iberdrola España, hosted a conference today focused on the challenges and opportunities of industrial decarbonization and the new energy regulatory framework established by Royal Decree-Law 7/2026, approved by the Spanish government in response to the energy crisis stemming from the conflict in the Middle East. The event brought together institutional representatives, industrial companies, energy experts and European financing entities to analyze the impact of this new regulation on Navarre’s productive sector.

The president of the Navarre Chamber of Commerce, Javier Taberna; Esperanza Aristu, director of the Navarre Government’s Energy Transition Service; and Javier Mazorra, professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and researcher at the ITD-UPM opened the conference.

During his remarks Taberna highlighted that Royal Decree-Law 7/2026 includes changes to the application process for electrical power in industrial companies to prevent grid capacity from being blocked, prioritizing real projects with rapid implementation. Taberna also highlighted the regulatory progress the decree represents for local entities and Local Energy Communities (CEL), as it "resolves existing legal uncertainties and extends the operational radius of electrical installations to 5 kilometers." He noted that the Chamber of Commerce spearheaded the Toda Energía CEL, which includes 40 municipalities in Navarre.

The president of the Chamber of Commerce has been critical of certain aspects of the regulation and noted that the royal decree grants too much discretionary power to the Administration in energy matters, particularly regarding the allocation of grid access based on purely subjective political criteria rather than objective ones; this could lead to significant market distortions as well as considerable legal uncertainty for businesses.

The director of the Government of Navarre's Energy Transition Service explained that decarbonization is a challenge for industry, "which must maintain its competitiveness." Aristu noted that 35% of final energy consumption in Navarre comes from the electricity sector and that 50% of this consumption is from fossil fuels, and she outlined the tax relief measures and aid available to businesses.

For his part Mazorra emphasized that Spanish industry is at a pivotal moment for its future development, in which our country's ability to reindustrialize our productive base and make industry a key driver of our development is at stake. According to Mazorra, given the current geopolitical situation and Europe's firm commitment to decarbonizing the economy, Spain is in a privileged position to undertake the decarbonization of its industrial thermal demand in a competitive manner. At the Q Zero Alliance we seek to contribute to this process based on the conviction that alliances among all social sectors create unique spaces for learning and connection to accelerate this process, he said.

Industry must articulate its energy needs to accelerate investments

Marta Castro, Director of Regulation at AELEC (Association of Electric Power Companies), delivered the keynote technical presentation and argued that electrification will be one of the major drivers of competitiveness and strategic autonomy for Spain.

However she warned of the need to strengthen the power grids to absorb the new industrial demand. Although saturation levels exceed 80% (in Navarre they are at 90%) in parts of the distribution network, the solution lies in adequate regulation, agile and flexible planning, higher investment limits and mechanisms such as anticipatory investments, she explained. Castro also emphasized the importance of industry communicating its energy needs now to accelerate the necessary investments.

This was followed by a roundtable discussion focused on success stories in industrial decarbonization, featuring Santiago Osés, director of the ROCKWOOL plant in Caparroso; Javier Navarro, head of procurement at Grupo AN; and Markel Yarza, commercial director for Veolia's Northern region.

Grupo AN underscored the company's commitment to decarbonization through solutions tailored to the diversity of its production processes and highlighted the importance of having affordable access to the power grid to maintain profitability and energy stability.

For his part Santiago Osés explained the decarbonization strategy developed by ROCKWOOL, based on three pillars: circularity, energy efficiency and technological innovation. Notable among the initiatives already implemented are the recovery of residual heat from the furnace to generate electricity, a reduction of 40,000 cubic meters in industrial water consumption, the energy retrofitting of buildings and the commissioning of a 2.4 megawatts solar plant for self-consumption.

Yarza emphasized that implementing decarbonization measures is an obstacle course that requires political support and called for energy autonomy to avoid dependence on the disruptions currently arising mainly from the international context and reliance on external actors.

New Call for Grants to Promote Industrial Electrification

The conference also addressed European funding opportunities for industrial decarbonization projects. Maite García Pascal, from Zabala Innovation Consulting, encouraged companies to take advantage of European instruments such as the Innovation Fund, especially in a context where funding linked to the Next Generation funds will decrease. García particularly highlighted the new European call aimed at promoting industrial electrification and reducing CO2 emissions, noting that Spain currently leads the projects selected for funding, with 37% of all approved applications.

Eduardo Ryan, Iberdrola España's institutional representative in Navarre and La Rioja, delivered the closing remarks and underscored Navarre's strategic role as one of the regions with the highest industrial contribution to GDP and a national leader in sustainability. "Navarra is also called upon to lead the industrial decarbonization process, but to do so it is essential to have a regulatory framework that drives investment in electrical grids,", he concluded.

Led by Iberdrola España, the Q-Cero Alliance is addressing the challenges of industrial electrification in Navarre to accelerate the region's energy transition

Led by Iberdrola España, the Q-Cero Alliance is addressing the challenges of industrial electrification in Navarre to accelerate the region's energy transition

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