Les Comes Genera promotes a sustainable and collaborative energy model in Igualada that is a pioneer in the business and industrial field. The energy community will come into operation in June 2025 and foresees an annual saving of 180,000 euros per participating company with the renewable energy self-consumption formula. The loan from the public bank of Catalonia, aimed at mitigating climate change and improving energy efficiency, has been key to the execution of the project.
The ICF has granted financing of 1.3 million euros to the cooperative Les Comes Genera to promote one of the first private energy communities in Catalonia.
The community, which will come into operation in June 2025, is led by ten industrial companies from the Igualada Business Activity Estate grouped in the cooperative. The companies belong to sectors such as chemicals, automotive, animal feed or waste management, with high energy consumption.
The initiative promotes the generation and shared consumption of local renewable energy, generated by solar panels installed on three roofs of the estate, with a total capacity of 810 kW. The project foresees an annual saving of 180,000 euros per company thanks to this sustainable model and collaboration that optimizes costs, promotes the self-consumption of renewable energy and reduces the environmental impact of the industrial sector.
The energy community also contemplates the electrification of the industrial fleet and the promotion of shared mobility in the industrial estate through the creation of a network of charging points for electric vehicles. This infrastructure will be accessible to both community members and users of the industrial estate and the public.
The project, which has the support of the Igualada City Council, the Unió Empresarial de l'Anoia (UEA) and the Unió de Polígons Industrials de Catalunya (UPIC), is positioned as a benchmark and scalable energy governance model in other industrial estates. Les Comes Genera plans to expand the installation of solar panels and incorporate more companies into the initiative, to contribute to decarbonisation and sustainability. In addition, as a sign of social commitment, the energy community will transfer 20 kW of its electricity production to vulnerable families in the city.
The support of the public bank for the promotion of Catalonia, with financing of 1.3 million euros through an ICF Acció Climàtica loan, has been essential to guarantee the execution of the energy community.
The CEO of the ICF, Vanessa Servera, highlighted the bank's commitment to projects that favour the energy transition: "At the ICF, through the ICF Acció Climàtica loans and other lines of financing, we are committed to financing investments that contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change and promoting a more sustainable development of our productive sectors. With this operation, the ICF reinforces its commitment to promote production models that respond to current environmental and climate challenges".
As Joan Mateu, manager of Les Comes Genera, explains: "The support of the ICF has allowed us to make a key project for the energy future of the industrial estate a reality. We foresee an annual saving of 180,000 euros per company thanks to this self-consumption model".