Latest news with #Iberdrola
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Spain Blackout Blame Game Heats Up as Iberdrola Points to Grid
Spain's grid operator and the country's largest utility took to public finger-wagging over their roles during the country's biggest-ever blackout. 'We've been singled out from the first moment,' the chief of Iberdrola's Spanish unit, Mario Ruiz-Tagle, said at an event in Madrid, when asked if power generators were being blamed for the April 28 outage. He added that Red Electrica had been recording excess voltage in the days leading up to the debacle, and that managing the network's stability is a responsibility of the grid operator.
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Spain's Iberdrola, Endesa Aim to Extend Nuclear Plant Lifespan
Spain's three largest utilities are working on a proposal to extend the lifespan of the country's biggest nuclear power plant, whose reactors are slated to be shut down in 2027 and 2028. Iberdrola SA, Endesa SA and Naturgy Energy Group SA are seeking to postpone the planned closing of the Almaraz facility until 2030, Endesa Chief Executive Officer Jose Bogas said Thursday.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
What Is Ethical AI Integration?
Over the past decade, the Iberdrola Group has grown 160 percent compared to only 10 percent growth achieved by most of its competitors. This is the result of a strategic decision to expand from its role as a local utilities company in Spain to become a global energy leader fully committed to a sustainable energy transition. Today, it is the world's leading green-power producer and one of the largest electricity companies in the world in terms of market capitalization, and the biggest in Europe. According to the company's leadership, electrification is the most effective way to guarantee security of supply, reinforce energy autonomy and strengthen competitiveness while protecting the natural environment. The group is therefore investing €41 billion in the 2024-2026 period to promote the electrification of the economy. 'Iberdrola focused its international expansion mostly in the UK, US, Brazil and Mexico by making some strategic acquisitions around the world, over the last 20 years' said Carlos Asensio, Head of Digital Planning and Data & AI Governance, part of the IT organization at Iberdrola. He was speaking at the SAP Executive Digital Exchange for Energy & Utilities event held recently in Rotterdam. Leader in renewable energy Iberdrola 'Iberdrola has grown exponentially. We multiplied our green installed power capacity, and dramatically increased our regulated networks and distribution business, using innovation and technology as an accelerator,' he explained. Iberdrola's workforce includes 42,000 employees and indirectly impacts 500,000 people through suppliers and partners. The company has been pioneering the use of AI and integrating it into daily operations all along. On the path towards a decarbonized and sustainable future, the use of AI optimizes processes and drives a new energy era. Iberdrola, an AI pioneer in the sector, has integrated this technology all over its value chain to accelerate the energy transition, the decarbonization of the economy, and the achievement of global climate goals. 'AI solutions have dynamized business processes in the last 15 years and have helped position the Iberdrola Group as a reference in areas such as wind and generation forecasting, networks outage recovery management and customer smart assistance,' he said. The use of AI in Iberdrola not only impacts the business processes but also people productivity. According to the digital expert, global deployment of Microsoft Copilot capabilities using Gen AI is leading to significant improvements in efficiency and the best use of time. Iberdrola is the company with the highest number of people actively using Copliot Chat in Spain. This transformation is possible thanks to a very intensive Gen AI training initiative involving more than 3,000 employees. The program is based on a variety of content from ethics and governance using new tools and Gen AI. With Iberdrola's emphasis on ethical responsibility and innovation, when it comes to AI, Carlos' job is all about leveraging its benefits for transforming the business processes while implementing AI regulatory compliance frameworks and controls to minimize ethical concerns. The team reviews and implements the necessary controls and policies to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI, based on the EU AI Act. The first-ever legal framework on AI, the EU AI Act addresses the risks of AI and positions Europe to play a leading role in developing a trustworthy use of AI. Last year, Iberdrola became the first European energy utility to join the EU AI Pact—a voluntary framework launched by the European Commission to promote early adoption of the AI Act's principles. By signing the pact, Iberdrola committed to: Iberdrola also collaborates with other AI Pact members and stakeholders through various initiatives such as the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub, universities and start-ups, and through their venture capital company named Perseo. There are multiple risks in the use of AI. Leakage of confidential information, potential illicit uses, lack of transparency, the use of incorrect or biased content and flawed adherence to regulatory compliance are all possible risks. According to the EU AI Act, risks range from minimum to high risk to unacceptable, in which case the use of the AI tool in question is prohibited. One example that's relevant to the workplace is the use of emotion recognition AI tools to monitor workers, because it is not only invasive, but often inaccurate. Pioneering electrification Iberdrola 'We're very aware of the risks and opportunities of working with AI,' said Carlos. 'We don't use AI for the operation of our critical infrastructure assets, and we ensure the transparency and explicability of the AI models that will interact with customers, employees or providers. Carlos and his team identified a number of business processes where AI has high transformational potential from corporate activities to operations and maintenance, and from energy management to customer experience. They realized there is a big opportunity to optimize operations and improve efficiency while enhancing people satisfaction. Carlos also listed a number of ways AI will help to improve communication with customers, employees and suppliers. New tools include automatically generated emails, claims bots, agents for sales agents, automatic documentation and image validation. 'Our field staff from renewables to networks will use Gen AI features and assistants.' 'We built Generative AI platforms so our businesses can implement use cases in an agile, secure and responsible manner,' he explained. One critical topic is the lack of AI technical capabilities in a very competitive market. 'This is a very important topic for us. Our focus on talent attraction and retention helped earn us the Top Employers Enterprise international award in people management,' Carlos explained. Iberdrola is the only energy company in the world to achieve this distinction. All these internal activities and collaborative engagements exemplify Iberdrola's commitment to sharing best practices, ethical responsibility and advancing the collective understanding of AI's role in the energy sector. That's how the company is powering a new future for energy.
Zawya
21-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
East-West Digital: A new Iberdrola Company launched at the 2025 ‘Qatar Economic Forum, powered by Bloomberg'
The Company will design, industrialize, and commercialize AI-based solutions for Sustainability with a global reach Doha, Qatar: Iberdrola today announced the official launch of East-West Digital, a new company dedicated to the development and commercialization of AI-powered digital solutions for sustainability. East-West Digital will leverage innovations developed by Iberdrola Innovation Middle East, a leading global digital solutions Innovation Center established by Iberdrola at the Qatar Science and Technology Park in 2016. The announcement was made during a press conference held at the 2025 'Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg', in the presence of senior dignitaries, business leaders, and media representatives. Notably, the event saw the special attendance of H.E. Dr. Álvaro Renedo Zalba, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Qatar; Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al-Thani, CEO of Invest Qatar; Mr. Pedro Azagra CEO of Avangrid; and Mr. Santiago Bañales, Managing Director of Iberdrola Innovation Middle East and CEO of East-West Digital. Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al-Thani, CEO of Invest Qatar, said: 'The launch of East-West Digital marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to foster innovation and sustainability in Qatar. This initiative is a testament to our ongoing collaboration with Iberdrola Innovation Middle East that began in May 2022. By leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies, East-West Digital will not only enhance our digital landscape but also contribute to global sustainability goals. This venture underscores our commitment to supporting projects that drive economic growth and technological advancement, reinforcing Qatar's position as a hub for innovation and excellence.' Mr. Pedro Azagra, CEO of Avangrid, said: 'Iberdrola's launch of East-West Digital at the 2025 'Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg' demonstrates our strong dedication to advancing the electrification of the global economy. This innovative initiative will leverage AI-powered solutions to develop smarter and more efficient grids, reduce external energy dependency, and boost competitiveness. By supporting local industries and generating employment opportunities, we aim to achieve not only technological progress but also economic stability and growth.' Mr. Santiago Bañales, Managing Director of Iberdrola Innovation Middle East and CEO of East-West Digital, added: 'East-West Digital is the natural progression of the work we began with Iberdrola Innovation Middle East. Our AI-based solutions are already enabling the electrification of the global energy system. East-West Digital will bring to market a portfolio of AI-driven digital solutions for business and government clients, working closely with integrators and strategic partners to scale technologies that support global sustainability goals. In doing so, we aim to align with broader efforts to support the growth of a knowledge-based economy and attract top talent, in line with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.' Iberdrola Innovation Middle East was established in Qatar in 2018 in the presence of Iberdrola Chairman, Ignacio Galán, and leadership from the Qatar Investment Authority. The partnership gained new strength with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Invest Qatar during the state visit of His Highness the Amir of Qatar to Spain in 2022, reinforcing a shared focus on digital innovation and sustainability through the establishment of a world-leading innovation center. The announcement at the 2025 'Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg', aligned with one of the Forum's core pillars – 'Energy Supplies & Security' – focused on energy security and the future of global energy systems, underscoring the relevance and timing of this new venture. ABOUT IBERDROLA Iberdrola, Europe's largest electricity utility by market capitalization and one of the world's top two electricity companies, is a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola's main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others. The company has a workforce of over 42,200 and assets in excess of €150 billion. In 2023, Iberdrola posted revenues of nearly €50 billion, net profit of €4.8 billion, with nearly €9.3 billion paid in tax contributions in the countries where it operates. The company helps to support more than 500,000 jobs in communities across its supply chain, and global supplier purchases topped €18.1 billion in 2023. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €150 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. Iberdrola Innovation Middle East is a world-leading innovation center, located in Qatar Science & Technology Park, that aims at defining 'the digital utility', developing innovative digital solutions for renewable energy integration, smart grids and energy efficiency and conservation.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra Attends Qatar Economic Forum to Lead Discussion on Investments in Innovation
Azagra joins roundtable with 15 global industry leaders, The Next R&D Hub: Investing in Innovation's Future DOHA, Qatar, May 20, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, announced that CEO Pedro Azagra participated in the Qatar Economic Forum. Azagra joined a roundtable discussion titled The Next R&D Hub: Investing in Innovation's Future. "Avangrid and Iberdrola are committed to partnering with Qatari and global business leaders to progress research and development of cutting-edge technologies," said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. "As growing innovation, economic development and energy demand require a critical need to invest in energy infrastructure, Avangrid is proud to move forward with our plan to invest $20 billion in the US grid through 2030." Hosted by Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council Secretary General Omar Al-Ansari, the roundtable brought together C-suite executives to explore the key forces shaping global R&D strategies, from talent access and regulatory shifts to geopolitical risk and market potential. The roundtable featured 15 delegates from diverse industries including tech, pharma, finance, and energy, among others. Iberdrola is the number one private utility in the world in terms of R&D investment, with over €1.78 billion invested in the last five years, and €403 million in 2024 alone. Iberdrola leads dedicated innovation teams across their service geographies including U.S., Spain, U.K., Brazil, Australia, and Qatar, with Iberdrola's Innovation Middle East. Iberdrola Innovation Middle East was established in Qatar in 2016 at the Qatar Science and Technology Park. The center drives the development of innovation in digitization of the electrical system and leveraging AI and machine learning. In the United States, Avangrid has been utilizing state of the art AI tools to unlock additional capacity on transmission lines, allowing for flexibility to safely increase the amount of energy flowing based on current conditions. This real time visibility reduces grid congestion and increases carrying capacity. Avangrid is also piloting a mobile robot device to advance substation inspections using AI to increase energy reliability for customers. Avangrid's utilities in Maine and New York are utilizing AI in the air and ground to map out and plan the grid of tomorrow. About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine and Oregon, including operations in 23 states with approximately $48 billion in assets, and has two primary lines of business: networks and power. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. Through its power generation business, Avangrid owns and operates more than 75 energy generation facilities across the United States producing 10.5 GW of power for over 3.1 million customers. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America's best corporate citizens in 2025 for the fifth consecutive year. The company was named among the World's Most Ethical Companies in 2025 for the seventh consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Florencia 838-292-6869 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
