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Schneider Electric completes decarbonisation of its Barcelona plant and inaugurates the microgrid developed in collaboration with Iberdrola España
- In addition to achieving a 24% energy saving since 2019, the plant has become a Zero CO₂ Factory by meeting 100% of its decarbonisation targets
- The new microgrid installed at the plant includes 990 solar panels, 5 electric vehicle charging points and 216 kWh of battery storage
Event at the Schneider Electric plant in Molins de Rei (Barcelona) with representatives from Iberdrola España
Iberdrola España and Schneider Electric, a global leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, held an event on Monday at the French company’s facility in Molins de Rei (Barcelona) to celebrate the milestone of becoming a Zero CO₂ Factory and to inaugurate the microgrid developed by Iberdrola España in partnership with the company.
The event was attended by: Josu Ugarte, President of Schneider Electric for the Iberian region; Yann Reynaud, SVP Global ETO at Schneider Electric; Andrés Carasso, Institutional Delegate of Iberdrola España; Luis Buil, Director of Smart Solutions at Iberdrola España; Jordi Sargatal, Secretary for Ecological Transition at the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition of the Government of Catalonia; Santi Martínez, President of L’Energètica; Xavier Paz, Mayor of Molins de Rei; among other institutional representatives.
The French company’s plant in Molins de Rei has achieved Zero CO₂ Factory status by reaching 100% of its emission reduction goals. Since 2019, it has improved its energy efficiency by 24%, to which an additional 11% will be added thanks to a new electric boiler. Furthermore, since 2017, it has been reducing 2,250 tonnes of CO₂ annually, achieving Zero Emissions in Scope 1 and 2. As a result, the production centre has become a key player in the decarbonisation of industry. It also contributes to more ambitious objectives such as the European Green Deal, which aims for Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
In addition, the new microgrid installed at the plant will further support its efforts to reduce energy costs and CO₂ emissions, while providing access to green energy. The key components are its 990 solar panels, capable of generating 670 MWh/year — covering 10% of the factory’s total consumption — through a 20-year PPA contract signed with Iberdrola España; five electric vehicle charging points; and 216 kWh of battery storage.
Andrés Carasso, Institutional Delegate of Iberdrola España in Catalonia, highlighted that “this microgrid project is an example of how electrification will enable a company to become more economically competitive, more sustainable, and have a more resilient facility by combining self-consumption, battery storage, and energy management in a single project.”
“The project we have implemented at our Molins de Rei plant not only reinforces Schneider Electric’s commitment to sustainability, but also demonstrates that it is both feasible and profitable to transform industry by combining electrification and digitalisation. Most importantly, it is a replicable and scalable model that can be applied to any factory seeking to move towards a more decarbonised and resilient approach,” said Josu Ugarte, President of Schneider Electric for the Iberian region.
This project is funded by the call for projects on new business models in the energy transition promoted by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan – funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
