• Irrigated agriculture in Spain accounts for 40% of total electricity demand from the water sector and 2.3% of national electricity consumption.

The Minister for Regional Affairs and Sustainability of the Regional Government of Catalonia, Santi Vila, and the Managing Director of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, Martí Solà, opened the seminar entitled 'Energía y agua. La creación de valor compartido [Energy and Water: the creation of shared value] in Barcelona today, at which various experts discussed the growing inter-relationship between energy and water.

The speakers at the seminar stressed that each element of this two-way relationship (energy and water) has a significant influence on the cycle of the other - both as a raw material (in the generation of hydro-power, for example) and a component in the electricity generation process (to cool thermal power plants), and in terms of the need for energy to access underground water, in the drinking water treatment process, distribution, treatment and consumption (mainly in agriculture).

The professor from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Barcelona, Miquel Salgot, explained the importance of the water-energy partnership over the course of history, and how water has gained an increasingly significant place in the energy cycle as a whole. He also explained the role played by energy in the water cycle, pointing out that hydro-electricity accounts for approximately one quarter of all electricity generated worldwide.

Water management experiences in the energy sector

The Head of Operation, Chemistry and Environment Coordination for Combined Cycle Plants in Spain of GAS NATURAL FENOSA, David de la Fuente, discussed the management of water at combined cycle power plants and explained two projects aimed at reducing water consumption: Menos H2O, for improving water performance, re-use and recycling in all processes; and CapWa, for obtaining water from exhaust gases before they enter the atmosphere through the chimney, thereby reducing the consumption of water to generate steam.

The Head of Hydraulic Engineering of GAS NATURAL FENOSA, Javier Baztán, explained that the total exploited hydro-electricity potential from an average generation year in Spain amounts to approximately 18,500 MW. Javier Baztán believes that most major hydro-electric projects already existed when environmental legislation was adopted and not all of them maintained a permanent flow throughout their river section. One of the solutions was to free up environmental flows by building mini power plants at the base of dams, thereby maintaining a sufficient and continuous flow throughout the whole year.


Energy efficiency experiences in agriculture

The research professor from the Aula Dei Experimental Station in Zaragoza of the National Scientific Research Council (CSIC), Enrique Playán, explained that irrigated agriculture in Spain accounts for 40% of total electricity demand from the water sector and 2.3% of national electricity consumption in the country. The modernisation of irrigation systems in Spain has led to increased power consumption.

The Subdirector-General for Rural Infrastructures of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock Farming, Fisheries, Food and Environmental Affairs of the Regional Government of Catalonia,Antoni Enjuanes , insisted that efforts to improve irrigation systems have involved the pressurisation of networks, meaning that water consumption is reduced but energy consumption is increased.

Finally, the Head of the Catalan Water Agency, Diego Moxó, presented a number of factors leading to increased energy consumption, such as the need to distribute further afield, more demanding quality requirements, desalination, the modernisation of irrigation systems, the re-use of reclaimed water and most aquifer remediation processes requiring advanced treatment processes, among others.

The concept of creating shared value

At the seminar, the Project Manager from Estudio Ramon Folch y Asociados, Josep M. Palau, discussed the concept of creating shared value with a particular focus on energy infrastructures. Furthermore, the Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department of KPMG, Patricia Reverter, highlighted the significant contribution made by energy sector companies to society in terms of economic growth and job creation in Spain.

The seminar, which was attended by almost 140 professionals from power companies, engineering firms and consultancy firms, as well as experts from the energy and water sector, was officially closed by the Secretary for Environmental Affairs and Sustainability of the Regional Government of Catalonia, Josep Enric Llebot, and the Managing Director of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, Martí Solà.

The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation

The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, founded in 1992, targets its activity at the promotion of information, training and increased social awareness on improving energy efficiency and technological innovation in the field of energy while respecting and protecting the environment, and promotes cultural activities through the Gas Museum aimed at preserving and spreading knowledge about the historical and cultural heritage of the sector. Its international operations take place in Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Morocco, Italy and Moldova.

Barcelona, 14 November 2014.

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