The Diplomat
Naturgy has signed an agreement with Gestamp to supply renewable energy, starting in 2022 and for 10 years, to all of the automotive components group’s production and R&D centers in Spain, reports Europa Press, citing both companies.
Gestamp thus becomes the first in the automotive sector in Spain to operate with electricity generated entirely from renewable sources. Specifically, the company will receive a supply of energy equivalent to 203 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year from renewable energy, solar and wind, in an agreement that includes the modality ‘PPA’ (power purchase agreement, for its acronym in English).
Thanks to this agreement, the multinational automotive components group will reduce its atmospheric emissions by 50,000 tons of CO2 per year. This represents a 13% reduction in the total carbon footprint due to the group’s electricity use and an amount equivalent to the CO2 absorbed by 350,000 trees.
Gestamp, which is present in 24 countries, has its largest number of centers in Spain. Specifically, of the more than 100 plants it has in the world, a total of 21 are located in the country. The group also has two R&D centers. The electricity consumed in all these Spanish centers accounts for 18% of the group’s consumption worldwide.
Naturgy’s chairman, Francisco Reynés, highlighted the importance of agreements such as the one signed with Gestamp to “move towards a decarbonized economy.” “Naturgy is committed to ‘win win’ agreements that value the capacity of Spanish companies and their key role in the energy transition,” he added.
For his part, Gestamp’s executive chairman, Francisco J. Riberas, valued that this agreement symbolizes “a very important milestone” for the company, as it is part of “an ambitious sustainability strategy of the group and is framed within its emissions reduction target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative”.
