Pamplona is preparing to emerge as the European capital of renewable energy during the upcoming 4th International Congress of Industry for the Energy Transition (CITE 2025). This biennial event, organized by ENERCLUSTER with the special collaboration of the Government of Navarre, will bring together leading experts and global leaders in the wind, solar, storage, and green hydrogen sectors on October 23 at the Baluarte Conference Center-Auditorium of Navarre.
CITE 2025 is sponsored, on this occasion, by Acciona Energía, Nordex Group, and Ingeteam, as TERApartners; Grupo Enhol, Laulagun Bearings, Nabrawind, Repsol, and Sakana Group, as GIGApartners; along with ARENA, ARPA Abogados Consultores, Array, Industrial Barranquesa, Beeplanet, EDP Renewables, Elektra, EnergyLoop, EOSOL, IED, Grupo Inerzia, Leadernet, Renercycle, Ríos Renovables, Rose Holm, SIG, Statkraft, and Urgon as MEGApartners.
In this sense, this year’s edition is a record-breaking event, having sold out all available tickets just two weeks before its opening. This milestone is due primarily to two reasons. First, an ambitious and comprehensive program of presentations by leading international and national professionals in the renewable energy sector. Furthermore, forum attendees will have access to significant networking opportunities and professional meetings.
“We are very proud because CITE 2025 will be much more than a forum: it has established itself as the international meeting point for leaders in the renewable energy sector. It is the only place where all renewable technologies come together to continue transforming this industry from Navarre to the world,” said Aitor Erquicia, president of ENER CLUSTER, the organizing entity, during the congress presentation at the Ventum Academy wind energy training facility of the Inerzia Group, one of the sponsors of CITE 2025.
To meet the high demand for tickets, the organizers have already put on sale an “extra reservation” of tickets for access to the afternoon program, when there will be parallel sessions and more capacity to accommodate attendees.
For her part, Garbiñe Basterra , General Director of Energy and Digital Transition, Business R&D&I and Entrepreneurship, highlighted during this press conference the importance of the renewable energy sector for Navarre since “it has 8,380 direct jobs that carry out their activity in more than 1,000 different companies, with a turnover that, in 2023, exceeded 3,744 million euros , and which has maintained an upward progression since 2020.”
With this data, he stated that “we must move toward a 100% renewable Navarre, and therefore, we seek and promote emission-free renewable energy solutions for energy production, clean energy distribution and management solutions, and economically viable energy storage solutions.” Therefore, he called for joint work to “guarantee the preservation and increase the competitiveness of the renewable industrial fabric in our community.”
In achieving this goal, he stated that public-private collaboration is crucial, not only with companies but also with technology centers, universities, and clusters. “That’s why the Government of Navarre is working closely with Enercluster to hold this essential event.”
While Kiko Maza , director of CITE 2025, defined it as “a strategic meeting point to better understand the present and future of the renewable sector.” “In an industry as dynamic as the renewable one, events like CITE 2025 are key to shedding light on the sector’s challenges and opportunities with the help of world-renowned experts,” he emphasized.
From there, the conference will kick off the day before, on Wednesday, October 22, with the traditional welcome dinner in the Sala Muralla de Baluarte, a historic space that will kick off the networking opportunities.
The event will begin on Thursday, October 23rd, with the institutional opening ceremony. The Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu , has just confirmed his attendance. He will be accompanied by María Chivite , President of the Autonomous Community of Navarre, and Aitor Erquicia , President of Enercluster.
Tables and protagonists
The first panel, dedicated to the wind sector, will bring together CEOs from some of the most important companies in the international arena. Under the title “Wind CEO Panel,” the panel will address how a sector of great industrial, strategic, and energy value is currently facing challenges such as auctions, tariffs, Chinese competition, and permitting. José Luis Blanco (CEO, Nordex Group), Torsten Tiefel (CEO, Silbitz Group GmbH), Michael Larsen (CEO, SM Industries), and Adolfo Rebollo (CEO, Ingeteam) will participate, moderated by Brian Gaylord , Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie.
This will be followed by a discussion on “International Experiences in Defending the Renewable Energy Value Chain.” Countries such as the US, India, and Brazil have implemented legislation to incentivize local manufacturing and strengthen the value chain. The panel will address whether Europe, with its NZIA, is truly up to the task. Speakers will include Mike Carr (Executive Director, Solar Energy Manufacturers of America), Ruben Davis (Senior Policy Officer, Cleantech for Europe), and Silvia Gavorníková (Head of Export Credits and Competition Division, OECD), moderated by Iker Chasco , Managing Director of Enercluster.
After the coffee break, the discussion will turn to solar energy and storage. The “PV & Storage CEO Roundtable” will discuss the strategic role of these industries in Europe and the viability of competing with the Chinese giant. The panel will include Hervé Amossé (EVP, SAFT Energy Storage Solutions), Christoph Podewils (Secretary General, European Solar Manufacturing Council), Laurent Bodin (Chief Commercial Officer, Holosolis), and Marc Rechter (CEO, MCPV). Edurne Zoco , Head of Technologies and Supply Chains, Energy Transition at S&P Global Commodity Insights, will moderate the discussion .
Next up will be the “CEO Developers Roundtable,” focusing on the challenges and opportunities facing developers in a context marked by zero or negative prices, rising curtailments, administrative barriers, and stagnant demand. The discussion will feature Arantza Ezpeleta (CEO, Accio na Energía), João Costeira (Executive Managing Director, Low Carbon Generation, Repsol), and Rocío Sicre (General Manager, Spain, EDP Renovables). The debate will be moderated by Kiko Maza , Communications Director at Enercluster and Director of CITE 2025.
After this table, at 2:15 p.m., the networking lunch will be held, a space designed to continue the conversations in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Evening program
In the afternoon, the program will give way to parallel sessions in two rooms at Baluarte.
The O&M Panel will be held in the Chamber Hall, where the discussion will focus on how new technologies—such as artificial intelligence, drones, and robots—can revolutionize operation and maintenance services, one of the fastest-growing and most profitable businesses. Eduardo Medina (CEO, RES), Juan Otazu (Production Director, Acciona Energía), and Javier Amelivia (CEO Wind, Spie) will participate. Elisa Manero , president of AEMER, will moderate the panel.
Simultaneously, the Energy Storage Panel will take place in the Luneta Room. It will address questions about the viability of the Spanish market, lessons learned from other more mature markets, and the future beyond lithium batteries. Speakers will include Rodrigo Harstein (Head of Portfolio Management – Battery Energy Storage Systems at Siemens Energy), Peer Piske (Managing Partner at Alantra), Susana Gómez (Head of Renewable Energy at Nexus), and Will Broad (Global Director of Policy and Market of Long Duration Storage at LDES Council), moderated by Eugenio Domínguez , Vice President of AEPIBAL.
At 4:30 p.m., the parallel sessions will continue. The Green Hydrogen Panel will open in the Chamber Hall, addressing the realistic expectations of this technology and its competitive applications. Participants will include Susana de Pablo (General Manager of Engineering, Technology and Digitalization at Enagas), Alan Ripa (CEO of Acciona Plug), Juan Peña (Chief Corporate Business and Institutional Affairs Officer at Grupo Enhol), Carlos Ayuso (Technology Development & New Ventures Director at Moeve), and Luis Solla (CEO of Nordex Electrolyzers), moderated by Antonio González (Vice President of the Spanish Hydrogen Association – AeH2).
Meanwhile, in the Luneta Room, the Grid Panel will be held, focusing on the role of the electricity grid in the energy transition and its capacity to integrate the current and future deployment of renewables. Alfredo García-Borreguero (Managing Director Spain Hitachi Energy), José Manuel Pérez (Director of Regulation at EDP Spain), Eduardo Pedrosa (Managing Director Transmission & Discontribution of Ingeteam) and Concha Sánchez (General Director of Operations of Red Eléctrica), moderated by Héctor de Lama (technical director of UNEF).
Following another coffee break at 5:30 p.m., the day will culminate with a keynote address at 6:00 p.m. by Yana Popkostova , founder of ECEGA, who will offer an overview of the challenges and opportunities facing the European renewable energy industry in the current geopolitical context.
The conference will conclude at 6:45 p.m. with the institutional closing remarks by Mikel Irujo , Minister of Economic and Business Development for the Government of Navarre, and Aitor Erquicia, President of Enercluster.
