• “For the first time, Spain is in a position to combine land plus data plus people. This formula guarantees success in achieving the global energy transition” (José Manuel Albares)
  • “Industry is returning, due to the values it embodies and the lessons learned, which have shown that Europe must have productive capacity” (Jordi Hereu)
  • “Aragon is positioned not only to be an autonomous community producing energy but also a region that leverages renewable energies for current and future companies across all industrial sectors” (Mar Vaquero)
  • “The current energy policy is marked by the EU’s great priority, the Green Deal, through a clear, firm, and stable regulatory framework that allows us to know where we are headed” (Cristina Lobillo)

Zaragoza, May 24, 2024. Spain’s position as a leader in renewable energies and as a driving force in the transformation of European industry, along with Aragon’s role as a spearhead in this process, were two of the main ideas highlighted by the speakers at Foro Sella 2024, held successfully yesterday in Villanueva de Gállego. The international conference on renewable energies featured the participation of European, national, and local authorities, as well as industry and energy experts.

During the event, three major announcements were highlighted, which will significantly boost the energy transition of the industry: the call by the Government for the PERTE VEC III, endowed with 300 million euros and published today in the BOE; the announcement of an agreement between Forestalia and the Chinese company Contemporary Green Energy (CGE) worth more than one billion euros; and Amazon Web Services’ investment in Aragon worth 15.7 billion euros.

The event was inaugurated by the Spanish Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, who pointed out the two major challenges facing Europe and Spain – the energy transition and digitalization -, as well as the new industrialization being launched in Europe: “Industry is returning, due to the values it embodies and the lessons learned, which have shown that Europe must have productive capacity,” he said.

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, closed the event, emphasizing the importance of Aragon as the “spearhead of green energy,” and noted that energy is not only a transversal issue affecting people and companies but also “a matter of state.” The Foreign Affairs Minister concluded by stating that “for the first time, Spain is in a position to combine land, data, and people. This formula guarantees success in achieving the global energy transition.”

Mar Vaquero, Vice President of the Government of Aragon, assured that the “technological revolution” taking place in Aragon is “closely related to the renewable energy revolution,” and highlighted the characteristics that position Aragon “not only as an autonomous community producing energy but also as a region that leverages renewable energies for current and future companies across all industrial sectors.”

Foro Sella featured the participation of Cristina Lobillo, Director of EU Energy Policy, who recalled the “great moment of change” we are experiencing in Europe and explained that the current energy policy “is marked by the EU’s great priority, the Green Deal, through a clear, firm, and stable regulatory framework that allows us to know where we are headed.”

Foro Sella also included the participation of international industry and energy experts such as Mark Jacobson (Stanford University) and David Robinson (Oxford Institute of Energy); representatives from companies like Amazon Web Services, Stellantis, Forestalia, Bon Àrea, and Fortia; operators like Red Eléctrica; and experts in geostrategy and digitalization such as José María Lassalle and General Miguel Ángel Ballesteros.