The Lehendakari advocates consolidating and further improving the Basque Country's position in the European energy sector

• Iñigo Urkullu participates in the inauguration of the building that houses the EIC and the headquarters of the new Abanto Campus of the Basque Country Technology Parks
• With this investment, according to the Lehendakari, “we are providing the sector with a first class infrastructure and we are continuing our commitment to Innovation, Research, Internationalisation and Technological Development” 

The Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu, accompanied by the Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment, Arantxa Tapia, has participated in the inauguration of the building that houses the Energy Intelligence Center and the headquarters of the new Abanto Campus of the Basque Technology Parks; where he has advocated to consolidate and continue improving the position of the Basque Country in the European energy sector, because it “is a key [sector] in our country”. “This is the way to consolidate competitiveness, guarantee growth and continue to create new employment opportunities,” he said.

The facilities inaugurated today offer a space for companies to develop R&D&I projects in advanced technologies linked to the energy transition. The first companies to move in will be Petronor, AMPO, Tubacex, Tubos Reunidos and Vicinay. According to Urkullu, thanks to this investment, “we are providing the sector with a first class infrastructure and we are continuing our commitment to Innovation, Research, Internationalisation and Technological Development”. The new Abanto campus, with an investment of 70 million euros, will be a key element in the development of strategic projects such as the Basque Hydrogen Corridor. And it is the first business space with a hydrogen supply, thanks to the hydro-product already implemented by Petronor-Nortegas.

Given that the Basque Country has a recognised industrial tradition, the Lehendakari expressed the need to continue to support the industrial sector, “now accompanied by advanced services”. “A country grows if it makes strategic investments. A country grows if it has first level companies, which are benchmarks in their respective areas of action. We must continue to invest in our country's engine of development. We must do so, moreover, by adapting it to the future,” he pointed out. In this sense, Urkullu stressed that this adaptation involves the challenge of getting the transition from “heavy industry” to the new “technological-digital industry” right.

Regarding the new economic forecasts presented last week, which show a growth of 1.5% this year and 2.1% next year, as well as the creation of 10,000 jobs each year, the Lehendakari said that the Basque Country continues to consolidate: “growth is synonymous with employment and employment is synonymous with well-being.”

NEW CAMPUS and EIC 

The Headquarters-EIC building has a total surface area of 18,932 square metres divided into two spaces that house the headquarters of the new campus and the EIC. It is the first building and flagship of the new campus and has a modern design and is energy self-sufficient thanks to an innovative photovoltaic installation on its façade and roof.

The Technology Park Headquarters space is for companies on a rental basis, with meeting rooms and common elements managed by the Park. It has 4,300 m2 distributed over three floors to house business projects linked to the clean energy sector, mainly those related to the hydrogen value chain. The building also has more than 1,700 m2 of common areas for an Assembly Hall, Hall Showroom/Exhibition area and multi-purpose rooms, so that companies belonging to the energy-hydrogen ecosystem can have spaces for the dissemination of their projects, training or networking.

The Energy Intelligence Center occupies 7,907 square metres distributed over four floors that will house offices and laboratories for the companies and an industrial building with full-scale machinery. It has been designed as a centre of excellence capable of articulating a technological-industrial ecosystem oriented towards the new fuels and developments involved in the energy transition; particularly around hydrogen, as one of the energy sources with the greatest future.