Iberdrola España wins Hazitek grant with pilot project using digital twin technology at a wind farm and a hydroelectric plant in the Basque Country
- The Basque Government's Hazitek programme aims to promote business R&D.
- The RENOTWIN project seeks to develop and validate BIM methodology, based on digital twins, in renewable energy.
- A wind power pilot is planned to be developed at the Labraza wind farm and a hydroelectric pilot at the Santiago Urumea hydroelectric power station.
- Project presented with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) as technical partner.
Iberdrola España obtained the Hazitek Competitive 2024 grant from the Basque Government with the RENOTWIN pilot project. The aim of the Hazitek programme grants from the Basque Government's Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability is to promote business R&D in the BAC through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The Basque company is developing a pilot project, RENOTWIN, which seeks to validate BIM (Building Information Modelling) methodology, based on digital twins, in renewable energy. To this end, it has proposed a wind power pilot at the Labraza wind farm and a hydroelectric pilot at the Santiago Urumea hydroelectric power station.
The proposed BIM solution will comprehensively collect all the necessary parameters to reflect the reality of the different phases of the life cycle of renewable assets, from design to O&M. To do so, it will use big data and AI tools to adjust the O&M parameters in real time, including the carbon footprint dimension. As a result, 4 specific technological developments will be produced: a highly specialised digital twin generation platform, a digital twin of the wind asset for the Labraza wind farm, a digital twin of the Santiago Urumea hydro asset and a tool for the integration of the carbon footprint dimension in the digital twins developed.
This RENOTWIN pilot project will:
- Optimise renewable asset performance.
- Improve asset information management throughout the entire asset life cycle, optimising investment costs, mitigating risks and increasing operational efficiency and safety.
- Reduce carbon footprint in all development and operation phases.
Iberdrola España has chosen PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) as its technology partner, with proven technical capacity in digital transformation processes through the development of technologies based on data analytics, big data, the internet of things and artificial intelligence, and with experience both in the use of BIM technologies and in the processes of design, development, deployment and operation of assets and infrastructures, especially in the field of renewable energies.
Iberdrola's commitment to renewables in the Basque Country
Iberdrola España is leading the Basque Country's commitment to renewable energy. The company's investment is backed by the fact that, 20 years later, the Basque Country will once again have new wind power facilities. It does so through Aixeindar, a company set up in 2019 by the Ente Vasco de la Energía (40%) and Iberdrola España (60%).
The Labraza wind farm is at a very advanced stage. It has prior administrative authorisation (AAp), the environmental green light through its DIA (environmental impact declaration) and the corresponding AAc (administrative construction authorisation). The Labraza project also just obtained the Strategic Environmental Declaration from the Basque Government. It is currently awaiting approval of the Special Plan from the Oion Town Council, a step prior to obtaining the Municipal Works Licence. This renewable project, with a capacity of 40 MW, will be added to the 143 MW wind power capacity currently installed in the Basque Country distributed over five wind farms (Oiz, Elgea, Urkilla and Badaia).
As for hydroelectric facilities in the Basque Country, the Ebro-Cantabrian basin is one of the main river basins in the peninsula and is home to some twenty reservoirs operated by Iberdrola España, in accordance with the water use priorities set out in the Water Act, for water supply, hydroelectric power generation and flood control. These reservoirs not only play a crucial role in water and energy management but also contribute to maintaining the region’s ecological balance.
Among them, the following are especially important: Santiago Urumea hydroelectric power station, in Hernani, Gipuzkoa, with a 19.55 metre high waterfall to generate electricity, with an installed capacity of 1.14 MW; Arrambide, on the Urumea river, in the towns of Goizueta and Arano, has an installed capacity of 1.08 MW; Labastida hydroelectric power station, in the municipality of the same name located in Álava, the Basque Country, with 3.38 MW of installed capacity.
The Leizarán hydroelectric power station has become an important facility in the Basque Country and is the most powerful in the whole of Gipuzkoa and highly frequented by hikers in the area. This facility, commissioned in 1907 and located in the municipality of Andoain, has a head of 209 metres and an installed capacity of 3.6 MW.