INFORMATIVE NOTE

19 July 2021

The energy company is entering into this agreement as part of its commitment to the full preservation of biodiversity by 2030, while ASAJA is reinforcing its commitment to boosting competitiveness in the Spanish countryside

Iberdrola and ASAJA enter into an energy alliance to drive zero-emissions arable and livestock farming

  • They will promote the dissemination of renewable energy technologies in the countryside and electrification of this change by implementing energy efficiency, self- consumption and sustainable mobility solutions.
  • They will also launch initiatives to encourage biodiversity and CO2,-capture, the circular economy and the promotion of new zero-emissions fertilisers
  • Iberdrola is joining a benchmark partner with an extensive geographical presence and understanding of the farming and livestock industry, while ASAJA is linking itself with the leading company in renewable energies in the country and at a global level

Iberdrola and ASAJA have entered into a strategic alliance to promote sustainable and emission- free arable and livestock farming. To do this, they have designed a work plan with two basic vectors: On the one hand, they will promote actions aimed at improving energy efficiency and, on the other hand, they will launch initiatives to continue preserving biodiversity and caring for the rural environment.

The agreement includes initiatives related to improving competitiveness in the countryside, such as the dissemination of renewable energy technologies suitable for rural areas and their electrification through the implementation of energy efficiency solutions, self-consumption and sustainable mobility.

It will also make it possible to launch projects to improve environmental sustainability, related to capturing CO2 - by creating green spaces that absorb and offset emissions from other sectors -, the circular economy and new, zero-emissions fertilisers.

The alliance combines the knowledge and capabilities of two leading organisations that are committed to the energy transition and the green economy as a way to transform and recover the country's primary sector. Iberdrola is gaining a benchmark partner with an extensive geographical presence and understanding of the farming and livestock industry, while ASAJA is linking itself to a leading company in renewable energies in the country and at a global level.

According to Iberdrola Chairman Ignacio Galán, "ASAJA is an excellent ally for promoting projects in future technologies in rural areas and to increase the opportunities for economic and environmental efficiency offered by the energy transition for arable and livestock farmers in this country. Today, we are setting out together on a road that will take us to solid commitments and concrete initiatives, to advance toward an emissions-free economy, also in the farming sector, while we promote competitiveness and economic development in the countryside".

Meanwhile, Pedro Barato, the president of ASAJA, said: "We have great hopes for this partnership with Iberdrola, which we see as playing a strategic role for achieving the goals we have set ourselves. The circular economy, Co2 capture, energy efficiency and producer cost reductions are short- to medium-term goals that are set to be become a reality in the agricultural sector".

INFORMATIVE NOTE

19 July 2021

Creating green spaces, reforestation and improving pastureland

Iberdrola looks upon the preservation of the biological diversityof ecosystems as an essential part of its strategy, ensuring a supply of competitive, clean, and sustainable energy which is also entirely compatible with the environmental balance and is committed to achieving the full preservation of biodiversity by 2030.

In this regard, the agreement signed with ASAJA entails commissioning initiatives to capture the CO2 produced in other sectors, like industry and transport, by creating green spaces to absorb and offset it. On the one hand, it will explore the possibility of reforesting land that is not in use, giving it additional value. On the other hand, pastures around photovoltaic plants and wind farms and their surroundings will be improved, which will retain more water and increase yields from pastures.

In the last three years, Iberdrola has carried out more than 1,450 actions to protect biodiversity, combining the development of renewable projects with the conservation of the diversity of flora and fauna by taking care of natural heritage. It has also set itself a reforestation target of 20 million treesby the end of the decade, capable of capturing approximately six million tons of CO2 in 30 years. The company will plant 2.5 million trees next year and 8 million by 2025.

Smart solutions for self-consumption based on renewables

The type of buildings in rural areas (low-rise buildings, single-family homes and large-scale installations) and the maturity of the environmental awareness of the rural population make self- consumption, aerothermal energy for air conditioning and energy efficiency ideal solutions for improving farm productivity.

In this context, many years ago now Iberdrola launched Smart Solar, a comprehensive solution for the generation and self-consumption of photovoltaic energy that gives savings on electricity bills and incorporates all the advantages of digitalisation, making it ideal for the farming community. This type of generation can be combined with on-site PPAs, long-term energy sales contracts for companies and farm activities.

Electric mobility and green recovery

The average commuting distance in rural areas, which usually does not exceed a range of 20-30 km, makes electric mobility an ideal solution for the countryside. Iberdrola is committed to the electrification of transport as a key lever for reducing emissions and pollution.

The company is implementing a sustainable mobility planthrough which it will install 150,000 charging points in homes, businesses, urban roads, cities and major motorways. Its commitment to the deployment of high-efficiency stations will see the installation of ultra-fast (350 kW), super-fast (150 kW) and fast (50 kW) stations.

Aware that promoting electromobility requires coordinated action between agents from across all sectors, Iberdrola has finalised more than 50 infrastructure deployment agreements with administrations, institutions, service stations, dealers and electric vehicle manufacturers.

About Iberdrola

INFORMATIVE NOTE

19 July 2021

Iberdrolais a leading global energy supplier -thethird-largest by market capitalisation in the world and the leader in renewables- championing the energy transition towards a low-emissions economy. The group supplies energy to around 100 million people in dozens of countries and has renewable, grid and commercial activities in Europe (Spain, the UK, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the US, Brazil, Mexico and Australia, and is growing in markets including Japan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others, as growth platforms. With a workforce of more than 37,000 and assets of over €122.5 billion, it recorded turnover in excess of €33 billion and net profit slightly exceeding €3.6 billion in 2020.

The company contributes to the maintenance of 400,000 jobs in its supply chain, with an annual procurement budget of €14 billion. A leader in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has committed more than €120bn over the last two decades to building a sustainable energy model based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.

About ASAJA

ASAJA (The Young Farmers' Association) is Spain's largest professional farmers' organisation. It has 200,000 members and its purpose is to represent, manage, defend and promote the professional interests of all the different segments within the farming sector. ASAJA achieves this by improving access, skill acquisition and training conditions of young farmers both in Spain and abroad. It does this by bringing together all the different branches of farming such as arable, livestock, forestry and environmental management, and even new complementary activities such as agritourism.

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Iberdrola SA published this content on 19 July 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 19 July 2021 11:32:04 UTC.