The Basque Energy Cluster takes part in the presentation of the Net-Zero Basque Industrial SuperCluster (NZBISC) at the Industrial Clusters: European Community Meeting at the World Economic Forum
The event was held on March 19 at Accenture’s headquarters in the Iberdrola Tower in Bilbao and was part of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) “Transitioning Industrial Clusters towards Net Zero” initiative.
It was attended by several representatives from European clusters that are part of the WEF initiative, such as the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Humber UK and Brightlands Chemelot Campus, among others, with the aim of discussing decarbonisation policies and partnerships, and strengthening cooperation between the initiative’s growing community of industrial clusters.
Cristina Oyón, Director of Technology, Innovation and Sustainability at SPRI, took part in the session to present the main lines of work and progress of the Net-Zero Basque Industrial SuperCluster (NZBISC) initiative, consisting of a detailed analysis of the Basque industrial sectors that are most intensive in terms of energy consumption and emissions (refining, iron and steel, cement, pulp and paper and foundry) and in drawing up roadmaps for decarbonising them, identifying the technological challenges of decarbonisation measures and solutions that need to be looked at so that they can be implemented.
Jon Fernandez, Head of Projects of the Basque Energy Cluster, presented the new Basque Industrial Hub (BIH4C), which is made up of 10 Basque companies and entities within the framework of the European IS2H4C project, “Sustainable Circular Economy Transition: from Industrial Symbiosis to Hubs for Circularity”, and is aimed at creating new sustainable regional development models by searching for and implementing energy synergies, the efficient use of resources and technological innovation.
The Industry Decarbonisation Forum reflects on innovation projects and support mechanisms to reduce industrial emissions
On May 3rd, a new session of the Industry Decarbonisation Forum was held, organized by the industrial clusters that comprise the DCARTECH Alliance (Energy Cluster, Aclima, AFV, ClusterPapel, and Siderex) with the aim of fostering collaboration between the supply and demand of energy efficiency and decarbonisation solutions. The event, held at the EIC – Energy Intelligence Centre, brought together over 120 representatives from 71 Basque companies and entities.
The first block of the session was dedicated to the presentation of the new innovation hub for the decarbonization of the Basque industry, named Basque Industrial Hub (BIH4C), created within the framework of the European project IS2H4C. First, Nora Fernandez, Project Manager at TECNALIA, framed the origin of the hub within the analysis of intersectoral synergies carried out at NZBISC (Net Zero Industrial Super Cluster) and explained that in IS2H4C, “From Industrial Symbiosis to Hubs for Circularity,” BIH4C has joined three other industrial hubs in Germany, the Netherlands, and Turkey to drive decarbonization through the search and implementation of energy synergies, efficient resource usage, and technological innovation. Subsequently, Asier Zubero, Climate Change Manager at SIDENOR, and Gorka Mendizabal, R&D and Marketing Manager at CALCINOR, detailed the innovative technologies that will be implemented and demonstrated in the industrial facilities of their companies during the project. Finally, José Ignacio Hormaeche, General Manager of the BASQUE ENERGY CLUSTER, presented the dynamics of BIH4C as a Working Group open to new collaborative initiatives and announced that on June 6th, it will be presented at the Net Zero Tech Fair in Barcelona, in a roundtable format with representatives from TECNALIA, PETRONOR INNOVATION, SBS, and SPRI.
