Iberdrola has ratified the agreement that will electrify Bayer’s production plant in La Felguera, Spain under a heat purchase agreement (HPA) using renewable energy.
Under the contract, Iberdrola will install an innovative thermal storage system, designed by the Spanish company Inerco, next to the Bayer plant that will transform the 100% renewable electricity from an adjacent self-consumption facility and from other renewable plants into the steam that Bayer needs to carry out its activity.
The project, which has been a beneficiary of the grant PERTE for industrial decarbonisation of the Ministry of Industry and which has the support of the IDAE in the line of New Business Models, has an endowment of €17m and expects to complete its development by June 2026.
With this important milestone, the plant that produces Bayer’s acetylsalicylic acid for the whole world will become the first centre in its sector in Spain to achieve complete decarbonisation and one of the first in the world.
Jorge Julián Álvarez, director of Bayer’s Asturian centre, said: “The agreement we are now announcing is a success not only for our centre, but also for the production and industrial model of the area, which, thanks to innovation, is reinforced to continue developing in the future in a more sustainable way.
“Our continued commitment to investment and the development of alliances for the search for innovative solutions is the key that has allowed us to grow and that consolidates our commitment to Asturias and constant progress.”
Mario Ruiz-Tagle, chief executive of Iberdrola Spain, added: “This is the first major steam electrification project in Spain and one of the largest in the world, which represents the great commitment of Bayer and Iberdrola to Asturias.
“It uses thermal storage technology, available technology that allows up to 50% of the heat consumed by industry in Spain to be decarbonised.
“Iberdrola and Bayer are pioneers with this project, which will be the first of many in Spain and in the world.”