Iberdrola’s executive chairman, Ignacio Galán, took part in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the largest sustainability and energy-focused summit in the Middle East and North Africa. The event brings together global leaders from government, business and civil society to discuss the future of clean energy and climate action.
Galán joined the panel titled “Charging Ahead: Scaling Renewables for the Next Wave of Demand,” where he spoke alongside the CEO of Masdar, with whom Iberdrola has partnered on major renewable energy projects. Their collaboration has already resulted in €8 billion worth of co-investments in offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom. The panel also included the CEOs of the French energy group Engie and the American energy company AES.
During the discussion, Ignacio Galán addressed the rapid progress of electrification across several sectors, including electric mobility, heat pumps, industrial operations and especially the growing demand from data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure. He stressed the importance of prioritizing local, competitive and sustainable technologies that make use of each region’s natural resources. According to Galán, electrification is key to achieving more competitive energy prices, generating new employment opportunities and supporting long-term environmental goals.
As Iberdrola marks its 125th anniversary this year, Galán also underlined the essential role of electricity networks in maintaining supply security and ensuring the benefits of electrification reach consumers and industries. He noted that the company plans to invest more than €58 billion by 2028, with most of the funding directed toward strengthening electricity transmission and distribution networks in the United Kingdom and the United States.
These investments are part of Iberdrola’s broader strategy to support the global energy transition and meet rising electricity demand.The panel was moderated by John Defterios, a contributor to the World Economic Forum and adviser at Sustainable Energy for All, who has over three decades of experience at CNN. Other participants included Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, Catherine MacGregor, CEO of ENGIE, and Andres Gluski, CEO of AES Corporation.
Discover more from SolarQuarter
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
