Bekaert inaugurates on-site solar farm in Burgos, Spain
Bekaert is proud to announce that today it has celebrated the official inauguration of its solar farm on the grounds of its plant, Industrias del Ubierna SA (Ubisa), in Burgos, Spain. This marks a major milestone in Bekaert’s sustainability strategy, Creating a Better Tomorrow.
The solar farm installation is now fully operational and one of the largest plants built in Spain to date: The new solar park covers an area of 8 hectares, equivalent to 10 football fields, and includes 18 300 bifacial solar panels. The park will have a total capacity of 12 MWp and will produce a total of 16 000 MWh of energy per year for Bekaert's consumption. This amount is equivalent to over 15% of the plant’s electricity needs and makes Ubisa the tire reinforcement plant with the lowest CO2 footprint globally[1], thanks to solar energy combined with Spain’s green grid, our PPA and biomass use.
Bekaert celebrated the inauguration in the presence of government representatives, customers, suppliers, as well as the partners Menapy and SENS who developed, finance and operate the solar farm. The Regional Minister of Economy and Finance highlighted “with this project, Bekaert show us a clear example of how sustainability can improve competitiveness and create a better tomorrow.”
Ann Versele, VP Sustainability at Bekaert, emphasised the importance of renewable energy in becoming Carbon Net Zero by 2050: “We have set ambitious targets for Bekaert, including a 46% reduction in scope 1 and 2 Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2030[2]. We are taking this commitment seriously and therefore have had our 2030 target validated by SBTI. Whilst we challenge ourselves to reduce the energy intensity of our business, we are consciously investing in increasing the share of renewable energy as a crucial lever for us to meet our targets.”
[1] Based on 2023 estimated plant GHG emission levels.
[2] Bekaert targets a 46.2% reduction by 2030 vs. 2019 baseline, in line with science-based targets
About Bekaert
Bekaert’s ambition is to be the leading partner for shaping the way we live and move, and to always do this in a way that is safe, smart, and sustainable. As a global market and technology leader in material science of steel wire transformation and coating technologies, Bekaert (bekaert.com) also applies its expertise beyond steel to create new solutions with innovative materials and services for markets including new mobility, low-carbon construction, and green energy. Founded in 1880, with its headquarters in Belgium, Bekaert (Euronext Brussels, BEKB) is a global company whose 27 000 employees worldwide together generated almost € 7 billion in combined revenue in 2022.
About Menapy
Menapy develops, finances and operates on-site corporate solar power solutions using roofs, ground and parking (PV carports). We serve high-consuming multinational companies all over Europe, with offices in Belgium, France, Spain and Italy. As impact investors, the company creates optimized flexibility and quality by staying independent from installers or component manufacturers.
