- Competitive advantages of Extremaduran industry over other sectors
- Challenges in taxation, electric transport, and grid planning
Iberdrola's Director of Climate Change and Alliances, Gonzalo Sáenz de Miera, has underscored the significant development and employment opportunities available in Extremadura to accelerate the electrification of its economy, noting that the region boasts "Europe's best, most competitive renewable resources" and an agri-food industrial fabric that is "easily decarbonised and electrifiable".
Sáenz de Miera made these remarks during the presentation of the Q-Cero Alliance in Extremadura, a project aimed at driving forward the energy transition and decarbonising economic activity.
Around twenty Extremaduran companies have already signed up to the initiative, a figure expected to grow following a working session attended by the Director-General for Energy, Industry and Mines, Raquel Pastor.
Competitive advantages of Extremaduran industry over other sectors
During his address, the Iberdrola executive pointed out that Extremadura's agricultural and industrial sectors find themselves in "a competitively advantageous position compared to other regions housing industries that are harder to decarbonise".
Unlike heavy sectors such as ceramics or steelmaking, Extremaduran activity can be directly electrified using heat pumps as extreme temperatures are not required.
Furthermore, he stressed the positive impact of this process on local and regionally distributed employment, advocating the implementation of active vocational training policies to secure qualified professionals.
As he explained, the Q-Cero Alliance "pursues the decarbonisation of industry by giving voice to demand", making it possible to understand the needs of businesses and households in order to forge joint solutions.
Challenges in taxation, electric transport, and grid planning
Sáenz de Miera warned against the risks of dependency and price volatility associated with fossil fuels, calling for policy measures that effectively drive electrification.
Although he welcomed the fact that 80% of Spanish electricity generation is free of CO2 emissions, he lamented that Spain lags "at the tail end" in the adoption of electric vehicles, citing Portugal's fiscal model — taxing fossil fuels whilst subsidising electricity — as an example to follow.
For her part, Raquel Pastor reaffirmed the regional government's commitment to industrial and building decarbonisation, demanding that the central government make headway in electricity planning to meet distribution demand.
Pastor highlighted the role of regional grants and Energy Savings Certificates (CAEs) — which have already yielded savings of 221 gigawatts in the region — allowing companies to "monetise investments" in efficiency.