Basque Energy Cluster: Future-proofing the energy value chain

Enlit on the Road headed to Bilbao, Spain, to learn more about the region's unique energy business community built on a culture of collaboration and healthy competition - a combination that is resulting in a thriving energy landscape represented in Cluster De Energía.

Cluster De Energía, also known as the Basque Energy Cluster, is an association of about 180 companies, energy operators, component manufacturers, engineering firms, service companies, research centres and universities, as well as government agencies. Established in 1996, the Cluster now represents the entire energy value chain in the Basque region.

General manager José Ignacio Hormaeche explains the Cluster as "a place where all the stakeholders in a specific value chain can work together...a place where they can find out what kinds of collaborations and initiatives they can develop together."

According to Hormaeche, the Cluster fosters public-private partnerships to develop capacity to innovate and to better meet the needs of customers and markets. It allows for products to be developed and implemented in a shorter period of time, ultimately benefitting the entire value chain.

From the start, the Cluster was fuelled by the Basque government's belief that the best way to position individual companies and encourage competitiveness is through collaboration in the different value chains.

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The Cluster is now split across seven main value chain verticles, including smart grids, wind energy, solar energy, consumer energy services, wave energy, oil and gas and hydrogen.

According to Hormaeche, energy is a key economic sector, worldwide, but also in the Basque region. Due to the fact that the region has a long industrial tradition, he thinks the region is well-positioned to continue to keep and reinforce a leading position in the energy transition.

"We have created some niche champions, companies that are very good in specific niches or markets. That is one of the roots of our competitiveness in general [and] of the energy companies in the Basque country."

More stories about the energy transition in Bilbao:
Basque gigafactory can unlock the holy grail of energy storage says research boss
Iberdrola chief reveals multi-billion plan to seize market share of oil & gas firms
Seeing Bilbao’s energy ecosystem in action