Iberdrola moves forward with its renewable strategy | REVE News of the wind sector in Spain and in the world

Wind power – both onshore and offshore – is close to 21,000 MW, after commissioning 900 MW more in the last 12 months.

The Iberdrola group takes another step forward in the energy transition. The company has increased its renewable capacity by 9.1% in the last 12 months, currently standing at 38,305 ‘green’ MW. The company has commissioned 3,200 MW of new renewables, in line with its strategy based on a decarbonised and competitive economy, as reported today by the company to the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV).

Thanks to investments in clean energy, the group strengthened its global leadership in wind power, with a 4.9% increase in wind power capacity – onshore and offshore – to 20,705 MW: 1,258 MW offshore and 19,447 MW onshore. In the first quarter, new wind projects included the incorporation of the Golden Hills wind farm in Oregon (USA), with more than 200 MW, and 55 MW at Paraíba in Brazil.

Also noteworthy is the strong growth in Iberdrola’s photovoltaic capacity, which increased by 60% – with 1,219 MW of new installed capacity – and exceeded 3,261 MW in the first quarter of 2022. This strong momentum is due to the incorporation of the 553 MW Francisco Pizarro photovoltaic plant in Cáceres (Extremadura), the 50 MW of photovoltaic capacity at Revilla-Vallejera, in Burgos (Castilla y León) and the 88 MW of the Port Augusta solar plant (Australia).

Battery storage systems have an installed capacity of 193 MW, an increase of 135% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

In line with the company’s commitment to decarbonisation, Iberdrola’s renewable capacity has improved in most of the countries where the company operates: Spain (+9.9%), the United Kingdom (+2%), the United States (+4.5%), Brazil (+14.6%), and the rest of the world, whose renewable capacity has grown by 29%.

Thanks to investments in onshore wind and new installed capacity, the company has managed to increase its production with this clean energy by 6.6% to 12,121 GWh. However, this increase did not manage to offset the negative hydro quarter in Spain, so production with renewable energy fell by 4.9% to 21,689 GWh.

In the first quarter of 2022, renewable energy production grew in all countries except Spain due to the lack of rain: United Kingdom (+20.6%), United States (7.8%), Mexico (+6.1%), Brazil (+49%) and the rest of the world (+14%).

CO2 emissions continue to fall

In line with its commitment to a long-term environmentally and economically sustainable model, Iberdrola continues with its commitment to reduce its polluting emissions. At the end of the first quarter of 2022, 81% of the group’s global installed capacity is emission-free (compared to 79% the previous year) and 83% of its worldwide production in the first quarter of 2022 is emission-free (in Europe this figure already exceeds 89%).

Iberdrola thus continues to make progress in its intention to reduce its emissions intensity to be carbon neutral by 2050. These objectives are aligned with the group’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 agenda. The company is focusing its efforts on two of them: point 7 – affordable and clean energy – and point 13 – climate action.