Capital Energy and GRI Towers Sevilla sign a partnership agreement to promote reindustrialisation in Andalusia

Supporting local job creation linked to promotion of renewable energies

• The energy group agrees to encourage its wind turbine suppliers to purchase wind towers produced by the company from Seville for the wind projects it is promoting in Andalusia and other regions until the end of 2024
• This agreement with GRI Towers Sevilla is part of Capital Energy's commitment to Andalusia, where it is developing 36 wind and solar projects totalling 1,600 megawatts and involving an investment of around 1.5 billion euros

Seville, 17 August 2022. Capital Energy, a Spanish energy company established two decades ago that seeks to become the first vertically integrated 100% renewable energy operator in the Iberian peninsula, and GRI Towers Sevilla, a leading company in the design and manufacture of wind towers and other steel structures for the offshore wind business, have signed a partnership agreement to promote the reindustrialisation of Andalusia.

As part of this agreement, the energy group agrees to encourage its wind turbine suppliers to purchase wind towers produced by the company from Seville for the wind projects they are promoting in Andalusia and other regions and that are at the ready-to-build stage by the end of 2024.

This memorandum of understanding, which is the result of Capital Energy's commitment to the socio-economic progress of all the regions in which it operates, especially Andalusia, also opens the door to new business possibilities for GRI Towers Sevilla and is yet another example of the beneficial “pull” effect that the renewable energy sector has on local businesses and employment.

In addition, given the firm commitment of both companies to sustainable development, they will jointly explore other forms of collaboration relating to the circular economy and fair energy transition, such as the design and development of initiatives associated with the optimisation of production processes, as well as the use of waste, in order to actively contribute to extending the life cycle of resources and providing a solution to the region’s industrial network. They will also work together in analysing the optimisation of energy resources through projects in areas such as self-consumption, storage, green hydrogen, etc.

With a view to developing all these industrial activities, Capital Energy and GRI Towers Sevilla are committed to promoting: the creation of a job pool in coordination with Andalusian public authorities and bodies; collaboration with vocational training centres and regional universities to organise training courses for young people and retraining courses for the unemployed over the age of 55; and inclusion in their respective supply chains of local suppliers.

Firm commitment to Andalusia

Andalusia is one of Capital Energy’s focal points in its ambitious clean energy project. It is no coincidence that the group generates more than 1,600 megawatts (MW), from both wind (around 1,050 MW) and solar (around 600 MW), in this region. One of the region’s main strengths is the quality of its renewable resource, which is higher than the national average and which very few regions can match.

The construction of this portfolio, comprising 36 projects - 25 wind and 11 solar - would involve an investment of around €1.5 billion, as well as the creation of over 5,000 direct jobs, a tax contribution of more than €50 million and a contribution to GDP of over €300 million.

During the operation and maintenance of these facilities, Capital Energy would provide permanent, quality employment for around 200 professionals from Andalusia and would generate an annual economic impact of almost €5 million, through local and regional taxes. It would also contribute more than €33 million to GDP each year.

Through this renewable capacity, the company would be able to produce 4,000 gigawatts hour (GWh) per year of clean electricity, equivalent to the energy consumption of more than 1.5 million households and would prevent the emission into the atmosphere of almost 1.5 million tons of CO₂.

The locations of these facilities in six of the eight provinces of Andalusia - Almería, Cadiz, Granada, Huelva, Malaga and Seville - have been selected following a multi-criteria analysis of all the variables involved - environmental, technical, urban, heritage, social, etc. - and having extensively reviewed all current laws and regulations. Granada has the most megawatts and facilities (564 MW and nine projects), followed by Almería (460 MW and eight). These are followed by Malaga (207 MW and five), Seville (201 MW and eight), Cadiz (137 MW and four), and Huelva (49 MW and two).

These figures show the aim of Capital Energy to become a driving force for social and economic development in Andalusia. This involves balancing two goals: to contribute to the decarbonisation of the economy through the implementation of renewable energies, and to promote economic and social growth in all the regions where it operates.

In line with this vision, the company has created the Territories Project, a different initiative that combines its commitment towards transformation of the energy model and its desire to boost the development of the regions. To do so, it undertakes to implement agreed actions with local stakeholders that will involve specific lines of action, including the improvement of infrastructures and services, connectivity and digitisation, the protection of artistic and cultural heritage, education, health, and the social and labour integration of disadvantaged groups.

In Andalusia, the renewable energy group has already signed two agreements linked to the Territories Project with the local councils of Lebrija, a municipality in Seville where the Loma de los Pinos wind farm is being commissioned, and Jerez de la Frontera, a town in Cadiz where El Barroso wind farm is being built. Through both agreements, the company and the local councils are establishing actions to improve the quality of life of their inhabitants. Capital Energy is also working with the municipalities of Jerez and Ayamonte, where it is developing the wind farm of the same name, to promote the hiring of local workers to construct the facilities.

Capital Energy, which already has over 30 employees in Andalusia and has offices in Seville and Granada, from where it addresses the growth of its clean energy project in the region, is also committed to the development of new storage technologies and to green hydrogen.

About Capital Energy

In line with its commitment to a green and fair energy transition, Capital Energy currently has a wind and solar portfolio on the Iberian Peninsula of around 30 gigawatts (GW) of power, with more than 8.5 GW already awarded grid access permits.

The group has achieved its strategic goal of being present along the entire value chain of renewable generation: from design, where it has a consolidated position thanks to its 20-year track record, to construction, production, storage, operation and supply. The company has 15 offices in Spain and Portugal, with almost 360 employees.