en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Basque Government has announced the Grid4Industry project, the fifth transformative initiative under the Basque Industry Plan 2030, aimed at driving technological development and digitalization of industrial power grids. The initial investment is close to €41 million, with total R&D and technology development spending expected to exceed €160 million over the next three years.

Led by Iberdrola, the project involves 62 companies, 29 of which are SMEs, and collaborates with the Basque Energy Cluster. The first pilot projects are scheduled for next year, focusing on meeting the electrification needs of Basque industry. Solutions developed in the Basque Country will later be deployed in other markets.

Grid4Industry aims to strengthen the Basque region's power grid-related industrial chain, a sector with a global turnover of €30 billion and over 6,000 direct jobs. The project is committed to decarbonizing industrial processes and adapting to the demands placed on power infrastructure by the growth in electrification.

The project launch was held at Iberdrola's José Ignacio Berroeta corporate center, with attendees including Mikel Jauregi, Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government; Ainara Basurko, Economic Promotion Representative of the Biscay Provincial Council; Asís Canales, Institutional Representative of Iberdrola in the Basque Country and President of i-DE; Alexander Artetxe, CEO and President of Arteche; and José Luis Elejalde, Director of Energy Transition at Tecnalia.

The project will also receive support from technology centers and institutions of the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network (RVCTI), including Tecnalia, Ikerlan, and CIC energiGUNE. Coordination will take place at the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub in Bilbao, which the Basque Government will also join, and which is promoted by Iberdrola and the Biscay Provincial Council.

Grid4Industry is expected to create 200 highly skilled direct jobs and 320 indirect jobs, totaling 520 new positions. Highly skilled employment related to the Basque smart grid sector, particularly in R&D, is projected to grow by 25% over the next three years.

The project will include new technological developments and will add to the investments announced on the fifth anniversary of the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub on April 14 this year. Through Grid4Industry, a new generation of digitalized industrial grids will be designed, developed, and validated in the Basque Country to meet current demands and seize future opportunities in industrial electrification.

With Grid4Industry, the Basque Government has increased the number of transformative projects under the Basque Industry Plan 2030 to five. These projects have a total initial investment of over €642 million, with €368 million allocated to R&D and technology development. They are expected to create more than 3,622 quality jobs over the coming years and involve 153 companies, most of which are SMEs.

Previously announced projects include the "New Aircraft Engine Architectures for Sustainable and Competitive Aviation" project led by ITP Aero, with an investment of over €110 million over three years, including more than €60 million for R&D, and expected to create 800 jobs (200 direct, 600 indirect). The Roboots project involves an investment of nearly €50 million, with over €35 million for R&D and technology development, creating 500 jobs (200 direct, 300 indirect) in the field of robust and high-precision robotics.

The "Smart Hydrogels for Personalized Nanomedicine" project led by I+Med plans an investment of €72 million, with approximately €28 million for R&D and technology development, creating 602 jobs (232 direct, 370 indirect) between 2026 and 2028. The Renewable Fuels Center project led by Petronor, based at the Energy Intelligence Center, involves an investment of nearly €250 million, with €85 million for R&D, creating 1,200 jobs, involving 51 companies (23 of which are SMEs), and collaborating with the Basque Energy Cluster and four technology centers of the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network (RVCTI).

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