The Ministry of Industry and Tourism has approved 14 new provisional resolutions under the first line of the Industrial Decarbonization PERTE, totaling €96.3 million, which will result in a reduction of more than 1.2 million tons of CO2 per year.

This was announced by the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, during his speech at the opening day of the Barcelona New Economy Week, a forum held in the Zona Franca of Barcelona from October 7 to 10.

The €96.3 million is distributed as follows: AG Siderúrgica Balboa receives €2.43 million for a project in Badajoz; Stellantis Spain, €13.88 million for its plant in Figueruelas (Zaragoza); Actividades Integrales Costa Brava, €7.60 million for a production plant in Arbúcies (Girona); Cementos Portland Valderribas, €8.86 million for the factory in Santa Margarida i els Monjos (Barcelona); Alier, €4.38 million for a project in Roselló (Lleida); Crisnova Vidrio, €10.43 million in Caudete (Albacete); Castellar Vidrio, €6.31 million for its new strategy in Castellar del Vallés (Barcelona); Fertiberia, €2.97 million for its Puertollano (Ciudad Real) plant project; The group formed by Corporación Alimentaria Peñasanta and Ence Energía Extremadura, €2.52 million for their facilities in Siero (Asturias); Cunext Copper Industries, €30 million for the production of green copper at its plant in Córdoba; Holcim Spain, €2.71 million for the Carboneras (Almería) factory; Ercros, €533,000 for its Vila-Seca (Tarragona) factory; Cerámica Peño, €635,000 for its plant in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo); and the group formed by Zumos Valencianos del Mediterráneo and Naturgy Iberia, which has received €3.04 million for its plant in Sagunto (Valencia).

With this new resolution, “we continue to encourage companies to invest in sustainable solutions with the goal of meeting climate commitments while also creating new business opportunities in green sectors,” said Jordi Hereu. Including these, the Ministry has already granted aid—between subsidies and loans—worth €323 million under the Decarbonization PERTE through both definitive and provisional resolutions.

Boosting talent and SMEs

Barcelona New Economy Week is a forum that brings together key actors and companies from the fields of digital industry, mobility, and sustainability, all united under the concept of the New Economy.

In his speech, Hereu highlighted the Government’s push for talent and innovation through public policies that support the strengthening of the economy. Initiatives, as the Minister of Industry recalled, include the ‘Activa Startup’ program by the School of Industrial Organization, with €7 million in grants of up to €9,500 for digital transformation projects, for which the application period opened last week; or the recent announcement by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, during the EOI’s SME days, to finance the development of small and medium-sized enterprises with €4.5 billion and nearly €50 billion in loans from the Recovery Plan.