In 2020 Ence Energía y Celulosa generated more than 2.2 million MWh of renewable energy from mostly biomass, enough to cover the domestic needs of more than 1.8 million people. Biomass is a renewable, manageable source of electrical energy that also generates an important local socio-economic impact that is very valuable for rural areas.
The company collaborated last year in this way to guarantee society an essential supply such as electricity, something fundamental in the health crisis situation we are experiencing, and in which the correct functioning of homes, medical centers and care is more important than ever.
To guarantee the continuity of the electricity supply, and with the focus on the safety of its people, Ence launched on February 24 a strict security protocol against the virus that is being decisive to maintain activity and achieve this objective.
In its cellulose biofactories in Navia and Pontevedra Ence produced more than 800,000 MWh of renewable energy from biomass and lignin. The company has an installed capacity of 112 MW in its pulp mills, and an annual production capacity of 900 GWh, which makes them self-sufficient, contributing surplus production to the electricity grid.
For its part, the energy produced in all the company’s independent plants amounted to more than 1.4 million MWh. Last year, the company consumed about 1.5 million tons of biomass, mainly from agricultural activities that, otherwise, would have been burned in the same field, losing its energy value and causing an environmental problem.
In addition, the energy use of all the forest and agricultural remains in the surroundings of Ence’s plants has a high social impact in terms of economic stimulation and employment. According to data from the Association of Renewable Energy Companies (APPA), each megawatt installed for biomass supports 30 direct, indirect and induced jobs, which raises the social impact of Ence’s energy activity to 7,980 jobs in Spain .
In 2021, the company continues to advance with its growth plan in renewable energies, in which it will develop biomass projects that will add another 140 MW. Specifically, the ongoing projects are for four plants for the production of electricity from agroforestry biomass in Almería, Ciudad Real and Córdoba. To this will be added 240 MW in four photovoltaic plants in Huelva, Seville and Jaén.
Ence is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to the goals established at the national and international level to fight against climate change. In this sense, the company works intensively to collaborate in the necessary green recovery after the pandemic, which should shape European investment policies in the coming years.
