The Principado of Asturias has a favorable ecosystem for industrial development, with a good electricity grid, trained personnel, good training centers linked to industry, organizational capacity, good capacity to attract European and national funds and great biodiversity. “For all these reasons, it is an ideal territory to carry out projects aligned with the ecological transition, such as those that we propose from Ence, in our commitment to the bioeconomy and the development of the rural environment”, has assured this morning, in Gijón, the General Director of Pulp of the company, Jordi Aguiló.
Jordi Aguiló has participated in the conference “Modernization of the Asturian Industry and adaptation to a more sustainable and digital model”, held in the auditorium of the “Luis Adaro” venue, within the framework of the Asturias International Trade Fair that It is held in Gijón, promoted by the College of Graduates and Industrial Technical Engineers of the Principality of Asturias (COITIPA). Together with representatives of the Government of the Principality of Asturias and other firms established in the territory, Aguiló has intervened to highlight the role that the investments planned by Ence for the Navia plant will have in the region’s production model.
“The development of products derived from wood proposed by Ence constitutes new opportunities for the generation of activity and wealth, favors the fight against depopulation and is the way to make Asturias a reference in the bioeconomy of the future”, stressed the Director General de Celulosa de Ence, which has estimated at around 1,300 jobs -direct, indirect and induced- the generation of activity to which Ence’s projects could amount. All of them are in an advanced stage of processing, and are likely to receive support through the European Union Recovery Fund.
These projects are based on the sustainable use of natural resources to obtain bioproducts and bioenergy, and which will allow the Navia biofactory to establish itself as a benchmark in the ecological transition. As Jordi Aguiló has pointed out, the aim is to diversify the factory’s production towards cellulose for absorbent products, with an estimated investment of 45 million euros, and the creation of a new line for the production of cellulose for textiles, ” that requires 450 million euros to become a reality ”, he pointed out.
In addition, in energy matters, the company’s plans include the adaptation of the biofactory processes to allow the use of the lignin present in the wood, from the cellulose extraction process, to substitute natural gas (from fossil origin) as fuel in the lime kilns of the biofactory. “This involves the use of a fuel of natural and renewable origin, which also offers us a 10 percent improvement in the energy efficiency of the entire process,” Aguiló stressed.
“It is an example of how Ence works day by day in this necessary ecological transition towards a decarbonized model,” he added. In fact, and thanks to the investment of more than 200 million euros in recent years, Ence’s biofactories are self-sufficient in renewable electric energy, thus favoring the decarbonisation of the electricity mix. A position that is intended to be strengthened through these projects.
And all of this, Aguiló concluded, guaranteeing “quality employment, with security, total commitment to people, and excellent behavior in environmental matters”, in line with the integral commitment to the sustainability of the company.
