With the aim of showing the international press the capabilities of the Basque wind power sector throughout the entire value chain, on Friday, 20 April a group of reporters working with Borsen (Denmark), Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), Agence France Presse, Nikkei and Polska Agencja Prasowa, amongst others, visited WINDBOX, the first Wind Power Advanced Manufacturing Centre of the Basque Country, located in the facilities of IK4-Tekniker in Eibar.

The company Nautilus invited the Basque Energy Cluster to attend the workshop in Trondheim (Norway) and give a presentation on the capabilities of Basque companies in the offshore wind sector, and more specifically on those that are positioned to develop floating foundation solutions for wind turbines.

On 7th March, the Basque Energy Cluster organised, in conjunction with Shesa (Sociedad de Hidrocarburos de Euskadi), a business visit to the Viura project's gas deposit in Sotés, La Rioja. The visit was of special interest for companies of the Oil and Gas sector in the Basque Country, which were given the opportunity to discover first-hand a unique infrastructure for the conventional exploration and production of gas.

(El Diario Vasco - Fernando Segura) In the report, the HARSH Project consortium reveals the details to promote the off-shore platform in which the parts produced can be tested against salinity and other corrosive agents. The project is financed by the Basque Government's Department for Economic Development and Infrastructures (HAZITEK Programme) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

(DEIA Bizkaia, Asier Diez Mon's interview with José Ignacio Hormaeche; Photography by Borja Guerrero) Without wanting to celebrate too early, Hormaeche has confirmed that there has been a change of cycle in the Basque energy sector, which has gained strength abroad.

The event took place on 23 November at the Gipuzkoa Science and Technology Park - Orona Fundazioa, and over 40 representatives of the sector attended.

On 20th July, Ricardo Chocarro, CEO for South Europe and Africa of the new Siemens Gamesa, presented the challenges faced by the new company after the merger to consolidate its position on the wind market and the supply chain role in the new broad market of Siemens Gamesa, at the Chamber of Commerce of Gipuzkoa (Donostia-San Sebastian).

On 23rd June, Bizkaia Technology Park auditorium held a one-day seminar to foster a forum to exchange ideas, experiences and success stories on ICT integration into production processes to promote energy efficiency in industrial environments. The day was divided into three sections which offered a complete overview of the context and experiences of the different value chain players in the development and implementation of efficiency solutions 4.0.

The Deputy Minister for Technology, Innovation and Competitiveness of the Basque Government, Estíbaliz Hernáez, presided over the inauguration of the first rapid charging stations for electric vehicles using technology from Basque companies within the framework of the AZKARGA project, which had the support of the Department for Economic Development and Infrastructures of the Basque Government through the ETORGAI programme.

Representatives from 11 organisations are taking part in a workshop organised by the Basque Energy Cluster on 4 May in Bilbao, to get to know about the project first hand and analyse together with the consortium members the possibilities that the project offers for their business.