Ignacio Galán, chairman of Spanish company Iberdrola, formally opened the ‘Iberdrola Innovation Middle East Centre’, their newest technology hub in Doha. Qatar Investment Authority CEO Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Thani also graced the opening.
During his speech, Ignacio Galán said he is pleased to inaugurate the new hub which he said is meant to become a technology benchmark for the energy industry through an open innovation programme in partnership with universities.
It will offer energy services to improve productivity and efficiency of customers and consumers, and will offer technical training focused on smart grids.’
‘Iberdrola Innovation Middle East’
Focused on the challenges posed by the digitalisation of energy systems, the ‘Iberdrola Innovation Middle East’ is a new technology hub from which the company is developing innovation and consultancy services in three key areas: smart grids, system integration of renewable sources and energy efficiency.
Located inside the Qatar Science and Technology Park in Doha, the centre aims to release new products and services for the digital utility, working at the intersection of energy and information and communication technologies.
In addition to its important role as a base for research, the new hub is tasked to be the central point of the Iberdrola group’s activities in the Middle East. Iberdrola also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) to jointly work on research and educational development. As part of the agreement, the two parties will work on securing reliable smart grids, strengthening pre-existing smart grid monitoring systems to improve efficiency, and the development of performance-enhancing hybrid technologies.
Commitment to innovation
Iberdrola is a leading multinational group and is currently the most innovative utility in Spain – ranked third in Europe by the European Commission.
Throughout 2017, the company invested over €246 million in research, development and innovation – up by 17% compared to 2016. These resources were mainly allocated to projects related to clean energy, smart grids, customer solutions and digital transformation.
For more information about the company, visit their website at iberdrola.com.
