Basque Government minister presents Grid4Industry, the new digital generation of industrial electrical networks, at Iberdrola España's corporate headquarters in Bilbao

Grid4Industry is the fifth transformative project under the Industry Plan — Euskadi 2030 and drives technological development to digitize industrial electrical networks. The solutions developed in the Basque Country will be exported to the rest of the world.
It will strengthen the value chain of Basque industry in the electrical networks sector, which has a global turnover of €30 billion and generates more than 6,000 direct jobs.
The project partners will conduct the first pilot tests of the new technological equipment next year, prioritizing the electrification needs of Basque industry.

Smart Grids

Group of fifteen people posing in front of a panel reading “Industria Next Level” at a corporate event, dressed in formal attire.

Irantzu Allende, Deputy Minister for Energy Transition of the Basque Government; Itxaso Berrojalbiz, Councilor for Finance and Taxation of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia; Eva Mancera, CEO of i-DE; and other representatives from the companies, SMEs, technology centers and clusters participating in the project.

Mikel Jauregi, the Basque Government's Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability presented the Grid4Industry Transformer Project this morning at Iberdrola Spain's José Ignacio Berroeta Corporate Center. This is the fifth industry-based project to emerge under the Euskadi-2030 Industry Plan.

With this new project the new digital generation of industrial electrical networks will be "made in the Basque Country" and from here will be exported to the rest of the world. The Basque Country will develop the new technological solutions that will enable the digitization of industrial electrical networks and address the major challenges of industrial electrification.

The Grid4Industry Transformer Project was presented this morning at Iberdrola España's José Ignacio Berroeta Corporate Center. The event, attended by representatives from the companies, SMEs, technology centers and clusters participating in the project, featured remarks by Mikel Jauregi, the Basque Government's Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability; Ainara Basurko, Deputy for Economic Promotion of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia; Asís Canales, Iberdrola España's Institutional Delegate in the Basque Country and President of I-DE; Alexander Artetxe, CEO and President of Arteche; and José Luis Elejalde, Director of Energy Transition at Tecnalia.

Also in attendance at the event were, among others, the Deputy Minister for Energy Transition of the Basque Government, Irantzu Allende; the Deputy for Treasury and Finance of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Itxaso Berrojalbiz; the CEO of i-DE, Eva Mancera; the General Director of Tecnalia, Jesús Valero; the General Director of Ikerlan, Ion Etxeberria; Nuria Gisbert, General Director of CIC energiGUNE; and José Ignacio Hormaeche, General Director of the Basque Energy Cluster.

Minister Mikel Jauregi stated that "Industry is decarbonizing through electrification, and this demands new technological developments in the electrical networks. The Basque Country has the technological and industrial capabilities to lead the new digital generation of electrical networks. Grid4Industry aims for Basque industry to help electrify industry worldwide. This Transformative Project is the best example of combining more industry, better industry and fewer emissions".

Asís Canales, president of i-DE, Iberdrola España's distribution company, and institutional representative of the Basque firm, emphasized that "Grid4Industry will boost the value chain of Basque manufacturers of electrical capital goods, a sector historically driven by Iberdrola España through multi-million-euro purchases that will increase with the group's ambitious network investment plan". "Networks are the backbone of electrification. Without electrification there is no energy independence. Without networks there is no electrification".

Ainara Basurko emphasized that without smart grids there can be no energy transition. And without an electrical network that is ready for the future, our industry will not be able to electrify its processes, reduce emissions, incorporate renewable energy or remain competitive in global markets. We are talking about the energy transition, yes. But above all we are talking about wealth, jobs and the future of industry, she concluded.

This new Transformative Project will strengthen the value chain of a sector particularly relevant to the Basque economy: the electrical networks sector, which currently has a total turnover of €30 billion and generates more than 6,000 direct jobs.

Grid4Industry will have an initial investment of nearly €41 million. Analysts estimate that over the next three years total investment will exceed €160 million in R&D and technological development activities. This project will consolidate a high-value-added industrial ecosystem linked to energy digitalization, innovation and competitiveness.

Iberdrola España will lead the project, bringing together a total of 62 companies — 29 of which are SMEs — with the collaboration of the Basque Energy Cluster. Additionally various technology centers and entities from the Basque Network of Science, Technology and Innovation will participate, with Tecnalia, Ikerlan and CIC energiGUNE playing prominent roles. This alliance between industry, knowledge centers and institutions reinforces the public-private partnership model on which the project is based.

The project team will conduct the first pilot tests of the new technological equipment next year with the priority of addressing the electrification needs of Basque industry.

Grid4Industry, a project with a significant impact on quality employment in the Basque Country

Grid4Industry will have a direct impact on employment. The project is expected to create 200 direct, highly skilled jobs and another 320 indirect jobs, for a total of 520 new jobs. Additionally the number of highly skilled jobs generated by the Basque smart grids industry will grow by 25% over the next three years.

This transformative project will be coordinated from the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub located in Bilbao, a space designed to bring together innovation, technological development and industrial collaboration around smart grids.

This transformative project will drive new technological developments with additional investments beyond those already announced at the GSGIH's fifth anniversary last April. Thus, the Basque Government is joining this innovation hub spearheaded by Iberdrola and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia. Grid4Industry is part of the Smart Grids Innovation Hub, a platform that aims to make the Basque Country an international leader in smart grids.

With Grid4Industry the new digital generation of electrical networks for industry will be designed, developed and validated in the Basque Country with the ambition of meeting today's needs and leading tomorrow's opportunities in the electrification of industry.

Basque Government minister presents Grid4Industry, the new digital generation of industrial electrical networks, at Iberdrola España's corporate headquarters in Bilbao

Basque Government minister presents Grid4Industry, the new digital generation of industrial electrical networks, at Iberdrola España's corporate headquarters in Bilbao

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