Councillor Mikel Jauregi visits the headquarters of i-DE, distributor of Iberdrola España, to thank its professionals for their help turning the power back on after the storm in Valencia

• The Bilbao headquarters of i-DE, the distributor of  Iberdrola España, is the backbone of the electricity supply grid and has the capacity to re-establish it remotely in the event of any type of incident.
• Mikel Jauregi wanted to thank Iberdrola España for its work restoring power to more than half a million people affected after the storm that passed through Valencia, as well as the human and technical resources mobilised from the Basque Country, such as healthcare workers, fire brigades and the Ertzaintza police.

Mikel Jauregi, Regional Minister for Industry, Digital Transition and Sustainability, visited the headquarters of i-DE, Iberdrola España's distribution company, in Bilbao neurological centre of the electricity supply grid and where the smart grids distribution centre is located. There he was welcomed by Asís Canales, Iberdrola's representative in the Basque Country, Javier Arriola, director of i-DE's Northern Region, and David Martínez, director of Iberdrola Energía España.

During the visit, he was able to see first hand how, thanks to the most innovative technologies, any type of incident in the electricity supply grid can be resolved immediately from headquarters, with the capacity to react in under a minute. This is why other countries are looking to import this model, especially in emergencies and in the event of natural disasters and extreme weather events.

And this is what happened a few weeks ago in Valencia after the cold drop and was what Councillor Jauregi was referring to. He thanked the company and its professionals for their work restoring power to the homes and businesses of the more than half a million people affected. "Iberdrola is a Basque company that has mobilised all its staff and technical resources to help alleviate the consequences of the catastrophe in Valencia. Our most sincere thanks to the Iberdrola group and all its professionals and the express recognition of the Basque Government for the important work you have done".

Mikel Jauregi also referred to the human and technical resources mobilised from the Basque Country, for whom he also had a few words of thanks. "From the Basque Government we have activated all the necessary resources to help the Valencian citizens in the face of the catastrophe caused by the cold drop. Together with the Provincial Councils, Town Councils and Association of Basque Towns, numerous land resources and emergency services, fire brigades, healthcare workers and Ertzaintza police have been deployed. I would like to thank all of them for their hard work and dedication. We can be proud of our response as a country", said Jauregi.