HEINEKEN Spain and ENGIE Spain have built Europe’s largest solar thermal facility for industrial use. A completely pioneering innovation in our country President of Government Pedro Sánchez I wanted to learn this firsthand by attending the opening ceremony in Seville this morning. They also attended the same event Etienne StrijpPresident of HEINEKEN Spain, Carmen Ponce, the brewery’s Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, and Loreto OrdóñezCEO of ENGIE Spain.
This facility, with a power of 30 MW, a storage capacity of 68 MWh and a surface area of 8 hectares, was built for its own supply on the premises of HEINEKEN Spain’s factory in Seville. Estimated to reduce fossil gas consumption by more than 60% allowing the brewery to virtually reduce its carbon footprint 7,000 tonnes of CO2e per year (A weight equivalent to the weight of the Eiffel Tower). It also uses the sun (a renewable, unlimited and emission-free energy source) as raw material to heat and cool water in a closed circuit. This factory is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. 84% renewable energy (electrical and thermal).
The new solar thermal plant, currently in operation, combines thermodynamic concepts and CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) solar thermal technology in a factory for the first time. This creates a completely pioneering technological innovation that increases the reliability and availability of energy by doubling the production capacity of superheated water for industrial consumption. Additionally, by using water as a heat transfer fluid, the use of synthetic oils that could harm the environment is prevented.
“At HEINEKEN, we were pioneers in bringing sustainability to the brewing industry more than twenty years ago. And today, again with the help of ENGIE, we are here with a completely innovative project that positions Spain at an important place in the transition to renewable energies. Thanks to this new solar thermal facility, we produce and package beer with renewable energy in this factory. “Beers that add value to/support the economic fabric and environment of this region are also very valuable to us,” he said. Etienne Strijp, President of HEINEKEN Spain.
For your part, Loreto Ordóñez, CEO of ENGIE Spain, explained: “With the execution and construction of this facility, we are once again emphasizing ENGIE’s commitment to our industrial customers by putting our technical capabilities and team of professionals at their disposal to enable the viability of sustainable and renewable energy alternatives. . “We would like to thank HEINEKEN Spain for trusting us as part of this project, which allows cleaner and more efficient energy to be obtained in production processes.”
The construction of the facility was carried out in a record time of 12 months and exceeded the initial estimates of the project, which almost doubled this time. In addition, its assembly was carried out by 100% local (Andalusian) companies, taking a total of 150,000 hours (more than 51 years of work by one person), equivalent to 18,750 days.
The project, with an investment of 21 million euros, developed within the framework of public-private sector cooperation with the participation of ENGIE Spain, HEINEKEN Spain and national, regional and local public administrations, is co-financed and managed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). By the Institute for Energy Diversification and Conservation (IDAE). The alliance between HEINEKEN Spain and ENGIE Spain is established through a TPA (Thermal Purchase Agreement) in which the brewery pays for the energy consumed and provides the land. ENGIE is committed to supplying entirely renewable energy at the previously agreed price, and when the agreement reaches the age of 20, the solar thermal plant will become the property of HEINEKEN.
This project can be copied to any other industry that meets the requirements and needs heat for their processes, without producing CO2. In addition, it promotes alliances to encourage collective commitment and position Spain as a leading country in the implementation of these key initiatives towards the implementation of the global emissions reduction program.
Absolutely HEINEKEN: A roadmap towards net zero in manufacturing
Just a year and a half after presenting the 2025 sustainability targets framed in the Decidedly HEINEKEN agenda, the brewer has already made significant progress towards its goal of decarbonising its factories by 2025. Its goal is to achieve 50% of this target by the end of this year. Most of the energy it uses is from renewable sources, thanks to the solar thermal power plants in its factories in Seville and Valencia, the photovoltaic facility in El Andévalo (Huelva), the biogas production in its four factories and the biomass boiler in its factory. From Jaen. And it hopes to reach 62% renewable energy by 2024, when solar thermal power plants reach full capacity.
These initiatives contribute to HEINEKEN’s global goal of achieving net zero by 2040. Additionally, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) recently approved global net zero targets in production and across the entire value chain, making HEINEKEN the first brewery in the world. Get over this milestone.