The meeting was part of the agenda coordinated by the Basque Government and Orkestra for the visit of the Emirati delegation to the Basque Country, headed by the Undersecretary of the Department of Energy (DoE) Ahmed Mohammed Belajer Al Rumaithi. The Basque Energy Cluster stimulated the dialogue and participation of the eleven Basque companies in the three thematic sessions, focusing on smart grids, renewable energies and hydrogen, respectively.

The three sessions began with an introduction by José Ignacio Hormaeche, Managing Director of the Basque Energy Cluster, who explained what the cluster does and described the composition of the value chains involved for each of the areas addressed.

The session on smart grids was attended by representatives from Iberdrola, Ariadna Grid/Merytronic, ZIV and Tecnalia, and focused on the digitalisation of grid assets and services as the backbone of the energy transition, with cybersecurity and the need for a supportive regulatory environment as key challenges.

Representatives from Gamesa Electric, Idom, Ingeteam and Meteo For Energy took part in the session focused on renewable energies, which was of particular interest to the delegation in the field of solar energy. In this case, the debate focused on storage and progressively reducing its cost as a critical element in facilitating the deployment of renewables.

The third and final session focused on hydrogen as an energy vector in the expansion process, with the participation of representatives from Petronor, Sener and Tubacex. Its applicability for specific segments that do not have a defined electrification pathway was assessed and the need for access to cheap, renewable electricity was identified as a critical element in promoting investment in hydrogen.

To conclude the meeting, the Undersecretary of the DoE and the Managing Director of the Basque Energy Cluster signed a memorandum of understanding to foster collaboration between the two entities through regular follow-up meetings.