Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Antonio Brufau, and Antonio Couceiro open the second conference on energy transition from the Repsol Foundation and the A Coruña Chamber of Commerce

The president of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, chairman of Repsol, Antonio Brufau, and the president of the A Coruña Chamber of Commerce, Antonio Couceiro, were in charge of the institutional opening of the second day of “The challenge of energy transition in Galician companies” conference, organized by the Repsol Foundation and the A Coruña Chamber of Commerce.

Antonio Brufau stated in his speech that ""it is key to take into account cost and efficiency criteria in decision-making and to consider the different technological alternatives available to meet the demanding 2030 goals.""

Alberto Nuñez Feijóo highlighted the solid and mature candidacy of the Galician community to apply for the Next Generation European funds. He explained that half of the projects focus on actions related to the energy transition, with proposals focused on the circular economy, efficiency, and sustainable mobility, among others.

The Galician president informed those in attendance that the Xunta has designed a Galician Transformation Pole that aims to implement tractor projects — in sustainable forest management, a circular economy centre, rural recovery, green hydrogen generation, and implementation of new renewable power — to mobilize more than 3 billion euros in the first 3 years; to create more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs; and to avoid the generation of over 2.9 million tons of greenhouse gases.

The president of the A Coruña Chamber of Commerce noted that “we find ourselves in uncertain times both in the lopsided level of commitment from countries and the alternative technologies that must be adopted instead of the current ones. The increasingly urgent need to adopt measures was due primarily to a global economic crisis and then by a global pandemic. That’s why we must propose a balanced and fair transition.

We cannot penalize our companies during this current period of weak recovery, with many uncertainties in the global economic environment. It is very important to manage these times correctly and make sure our productive fabric receives the necessary support to carry out this necessary but costly transition”, he said.

In today’s session, some of the most relevant Galician companies and bodies have presented their points of view about the different challenges that they must face in terms of the energy transition, sustainability, or the role that technology will play in the decarbonisation process.

The first of the round tables debated on the future of sustainable mobility and the challenges and opportunities that the automative sector faces. The president of Pérez Rumbao, Joaquín Pérez Bellido, the councillor of Urban Planning and Mobility of the City Council of A Coruña, Juan Díaz Villoslada, and the director of Technological Innovation at the Galician Automotive Technology Centre (CTAG), Ana Paúl Tomillo, took part.

Finally, under the title “Energy transition and the roadmap of large companies”, the director of the Repsol Industrial Complex in A Coruña, Natalia Barreiro, the president of the Port Authority of A Coruña, Martín Fernández, the director of Reganosa, Emilio Bruquetas, director of Sustainability at Estrella Galicia, Emiliano Martus, Abanca Sustainability Coordinator, María García, and the Nueva Pescanova Group Sustainability corporate director, Nuno Dias, delved into the progress being made in sustainability in their companies and the roadmap to reduce their carbon footprint.

This conference, which debated on the future of energy in Galicia, is part of the activities promoted by Open Room, the Repsol Foundation’s digital community, focused on the energy transition to support and encourage knowledge and debate on an energy transition that must be fair and inclusive.

Open Room is an “open digital space” for sharing knowledge and raising awareness. Its “permanent forum” is where members can access the questions and answers about the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition from prestigious experts and institutions from all spheres: public, private, academic, and social.

The chairman of Repsol visiting the A Coruña refinery

After the conference, the chairman of Repsol visited the A Coruña refinery, where he discussed the company's strategic lines and the progress being made in the energy transition to reach the goal of zero net emissions by 2050.