A día de hoy, Iberdrola Renovables es la compañía líder en el sector eólico de esta comunidad autónoma, con un total de 54 parques: 26 situados en Albacete (865 MW), 14 en Cuenca (598 MW), otros 13 en Guadalajara (340 MW) y uno en Toledo (31 MW).
La empresa ha invertido hasta la fecha más de 2.400 millones de euros en esta comunidad autónoma en el desarrollo de energías renovables, lo que muestra su compromiso con la región y su decisivo papel para que hoy sea un referente en el desarrollo de las energías limpias.
Cabe destacar que con la potencia en energía limpia que Iberdrola Renovables tiene instalada en esta región se podría cubrir el consumo doméstico de tres millones de personas durante un año. Este dato supone que la Compañía puede abastecer el 100% del consumo doméstico de Castilla-La Mancha con energías renovables.
La filial de la compañía eléctrica ha creado más de 525 empleos en Castilla-La Mancha desde su implantación en esta comunidad autónoma, en 1999. De estos puestos de trabajo, 334 son de personal propio de la Compañía y otros 200 se han generado a través de empresas locales con las que se han firmado contratos.
Recientemente, la Compañía ha inaugurado la central termosolar de Puertollano en Ciudad Real, de 50 MW de potencia, y prevé, a lo largo de 2009, poner en marcha la innovadora central de biomasa de Corduente (Guadalajara), que dispondrá de 2 MW y utilizará residuos forestales para generar energía eléctrica. La puesta en funcionamiento de ambas instalaciones conlleva la creación de 50 nuevos empleos directos en la región.
IBERDROLA RENOVABLES alcanzará a finales de junio los 10.000 MW de potencia instalada, lo que consolida su liderazgo mundial en energía eólica*. Esta capacidad, que equivale a la de diez centrales nucleares medias españolas, puede evitar la liberación de aproximadamente 8 millones de toneladas de CO2 a la atmósfera al año y proporcionar electricidad a unos 20 millones de españoles (el 45% de la población total).
Cuando se constituyó como Empresa en el año 2001, IBERDROLA RENOVABLES contaba con 1.070 MW de potencia instalada. Desde entonces, el esfuerzo inversor de la Compañía, que en sus ocho años de historia ha destinado un total de 9.849 millones de euros a su expansión (3.803 millones de euros sólo en 2008), y el avance en su internacionalización (está presente en 23 países) han hecho posible este fuerte crecimiento.
En 2008, la Compañía instaló un total de 2.204 MW (al cierre del ejercicio tenía 9.302 MW) y la producción alcanzó prácticamente los 17.000 GWh.
En lo que se refiere al futuro, IBERDROLA RENOVABLES ha sentado las bases para su crecimiento gracias, ante todo, a un modelo de éxito basado en un proyecto con visión a largo plazo no especulativo, la diversificación geográfica en los mejores países, un sólido balance, un modelo flexible y la apuesta por la I+D+i (destinó a este concepto 12 millones de euros en 2008). Además, su cartera de proyectos, de 56.000 MW*** (la mayor del sector), garantiza su crecimiento.
La internacionalización de la Compañía se refleja en que la mitad del beneficio bruto de explotación procede ya de fuera de España. El peso de Estados Unidos y la Unión Europea (UE) –casi la mitad de los activos se encuentran en España, más de un tercio en Estados Unidos, un 7% en el Reino Unido y alrededor de un 10% en el resto de Europa y otros países- le permite beneficiarse de los avances regulatorios y el entorno favorable que reina en ambas zonas.
En Estados Unidos, además del paquete de medidas aprobadas dentro de la Ley de Estímulo de la Economía (que facilitan, entre otras cosas, la financiación de los proyectos), se está tramitando en el Congreso una nueva Ley de la Energía, que podría incluir cuotas obligatorias de producción renovable (Renewable Portfolio Standards) a nivel nacional.
En la UE, la nueva Directiva de Energías Renovables establece el objetivo de que el 20% de la energía de la región proceda de fuentes renovables en 2020.
——————————————-
IBERDROLA RENOVABLES boosts its global leadership by reaching 10,000 MW
By the end of June, IBERDROLA RENOVABLES will have installed capacity of 10,000 MW, boosting its world leadership in wind power*. This capacity, equivalent to 10 average-sized Spanish nuclear power plants, could avoid the emission of 8,000,000 tonnes of CO2 a year and supply power to some 20 million Spaniards (45% of the population).
When IBERDROLA RENOVABLES was created in 2001 it had installed capacity of just 1,070 MW. Since then, a total investment of €9,849 million (€3,803 million in 2008 alone) and the company’s international expansion (it is present in 23 countries) have made this strong growth possible.
IBERDROLA RENOVABLES moved its headquarters to Valencia a year ago. It is firmly committed to the region and will hold its General Shareholders’ Meeting there tomorrow, the first in the company’s history that takes place in the region. In 2008, the IBERDROLA Group invested €315 million in Valencia and made purchases totalling €490 million. IBERDROLA RENOVABLES, the only Ibex 35 company based in the region, is the seventh largest Spanish company on this index by market value and is the second largest Spanish utility, behind IBERDROLA.
In 2008, the company installed a total of 2,204 MW (at 31 December it had 9,302 MW), with output of almost 17,000 GWh.
Looking forward, IBERDROLA RENOVABLES has laid the foundations on which to grow, thanks largely to its successful model based on a long-term non-speculative vision, diversification into the major countries, a sound balance sheet, a flexible business model and its commitment to RDI (in 2008 some €12 million were earmarked for this area). Its project pipeline, 56,000 MW*** (the largest in the sector), also guarantees its growth.
The fact that half of the company’s EBITDA was generated outside of Spain is an indication of the firm’s international expansion. The weight of the US and the EU (nearly half of the company’s assets are in Spain, over 30% in the US, 7% in the UK and around 10% in the rest of Europe and elsewhere) leaves it poised to benefit from regulatory advances and a favourable environment in both areas.
In the US, in addition to the new measures approved as part of the economic stimulus package (which will help financing for projects, among other issues), Congress is due to pass a new Energy Bill which could include obligatory nationwide renewable portfolio standards.
Meanwhile, in the EU the new Renewable Energy Directive stipulates that 20% of the region’s energy must come from renewable sources by 2020.
“In this context wind power will be particularly important, judging by the overwhelming support shown in statements by international governments and organisations that this technology will clearly play a prominent role in reviving the economy” stressed Ignacio Galán, chairman of IBERDROLA RENOVABLES.
He added that “in this regard, and at a time like now, IBERDROLA RENOVABLES reaffirms its commitment to being a driving force of economic activity and the real driver of economic recovery in the countries in which it operates”.
IBERDROLA RENOVABLES employs nearly 2,000 people and in 2008 it generated 10,000 direct and indirect jobs.
In recent months, IBERDROLA RENOVABLES has marked various milestones, such as the opening of its first thermal solar plant in Puertollano (Ciudad Real, Spain) and the inauguration of the Whitelee wind farm, the largest in Europe.
IBERDROLA RENOVABLES OPENS EUROPE’S LARGEST WIND FARM IN SCOTLAND
• The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, and IBERDROLA RENOVABLES chairman, Ignacio Galán.
• Whitelee wind farm, which has cost £300 million to date and already generation capacity of 322 MW, will increase its capacity to 600 MW.
• The current output of the wind farm, located 15 kilometres outside Glasgow, is the equivalent to the annual consumption of 180,000 households and prevents the emission of 500,000 tonnes of CO2.
• IBERDROLA RENOVABLES, the global leader in wind energy, with 9,700 MW of installed capacity, is looking to Scotland and the rest of the UK as one of its main drivers of growth.
The Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, and IBERDROLA RENOVABLES chairman, Ignacio Galán, presided over the inauguration of Whitelee wind farm. This is the largest in Europe, with installed capacity of 322 MW which will be doubled to 600 MW over the next few years.
During the ceremony, Alex Salmond announced that the Scottish government had authorised the company to expand the wind farm by another 130 MW, putting its total installed capacity at 452 MW. Furthermore, IBERDROLA RENOVABLES, through its Scottish subsidiary ScottishPower Renewables, has initiated a viability study for a second 140 MW capacity increase, which would put total capacity at almost 600 MW.
The Whitelee plant, which has required an investment of £300 million to date, occupies 55 square kilometres of land at Eaglesham, 15 kilometres outside Glasgow, and has 140 wind turbines. The construction of Whitelee provided jobs for 500 people and the farm has an annual output the equivalent of the electricity consumption of more than 180,000 households and prevents the emission of 500,000 tonnes of CO2.
The IBERDROLA Group is one of the leading power companies in the UK, where its subsidiary, ScottishPower is the third largest power distributor and leader in the field of renewable energies. Specifically, it is the largest wind energy generator in the country, and it doubled its installed capacity in 2008. It has a project pipeline of 5,100 MW in the UK.
IBERDROLA RENOVABLES reinforced its status as global leader in wind power in the first quarter of 2009, ending the period with an installed capacity of 9,624 MW. It boasts the industry’s largest project portfolio (56,000 MW), whose geographical diversification allows it to benefit from the favourable regulatory treatment of renewable energy in its strategic markets.
ScottishPower, IBERDROLA’s subsidiary, has 9,000 employees in the UK and nearly 7 billion pounds in revenues last year. It invested 800 million pounds in Scotland and made purchases of more than 1 billion pounds from around 2,000 suppliers.
www.iberdrolarenovables.es/wcren/corporativa/iberdrola
