TECNALIA lights the way to decarbonization

Decarbonization is a reality to which industry will have to adapt—sooner or later. “When and how they do it will make all the difference. They can wait for decarbonization to become mandatory, or get ahead and turn this need for change into a competitive advantage by bringing new decarbonization technologies and business models to the market,” says Jose Luis Elejalde, Director of Energy, Climate and Urban Transition at TECNALIA, a technology center that has made reducing the economy’s carbon footprint one of the top priorities in its 2025–2027 strategic cycle.

Turning decarbonization into a competitive driver is no easy task. First, the market itself must recognize it as a competitive advantage. “To make this happen, the role of government and major driving companies is crucial both in their regulatory capacity and through their procurement and bidding processes.” At the same time, “the technologies developed for decarbonization must be cost-effective or at least come close to that target,” explains Elejalde. “Solutions that are far from being cost-competitive risk not being implemented, even if incentive policies are introduced.”

In the race toward the green transition, the Basque industry has made significant progress toward climate neutrality. Still, major challenges remain. As Elejalde notes, some sectors—such as cement and steel—are difficult to decarbonize, though work is already underway in these areas. One key effort is the Net Zero Basque Industrial Supercluster (NZBISC), led by SPRI, which defines roadmaps for the five most carbon-intensive sectors in the Basque Country and focuses on the technologies identified in those roadmaps. This provides a comprehensive view of Basque industry, allowing for better alignment of R&D&I projects. According to Elejalde, “NZBISC is a world-class model of how to do things right.” He adds, “Companies can turn this need for change into a competitive advantage.”

Technological Challenges

TECNALIA aims to boost the competitiveness and sustainability of companies through six major technological challenges:

1. Renewable fuels: Developing energy conversion processes based on non-green hydrogen and other synthetic fuels.

2. Carbon-neutral industrialized construction: Focusing on new materials and reintroducing raw materials through waste valorization.

3. Decarbonized industries: Enhancing thermal efficiency through high-temperature heat pumps and cold-heat recovery systems.

4. Competitive and integrable renewables: Advancing in energy storage, demand management, and grid operability.

5. Digitalization of power grids.

6. CO₂ capture and valorization: Developing CO₂ capture systems and technologies for its energy and material reuse.

As part of this roadmap, TECNALIA has recently signed several strategic collaboration agreements with companies Agaleus, Factor CO₂, and Arteche, and has maintained a long-standing alliance with Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE) to develop membrane technologies. From this partnership emerged H2Site, a world leader in hydrogen purification and ammonia cracking solutions.