Strengthening the Basque industrial transition: the Energy Intelligence Centre 

The Basque Country has built a very strong industrial and technological ecosystem, supported by a mature network of clusters, research centres and advanced manufacturing companies, as well as a longstanding culture of public–private collaboration. This ecosystem is particularly effective in electrification technologies, materials, engineering and offshore renewables, giving the region a solid foundation for the electricity vector of the energy transition. However, on the renewable fuels side, a coordinating structure was needed. The Energy Intelligence Centre (EIC) fills this gap by providing the strategic alignment and support needed to keep our dual strategy competitive: electrification and renewable fuels. 

The EIC was formally presented at the end of 2024. It is a public–private foundation that institutionalises co-decision between industry and public authorities, with the purpose of promoting and leading the energy transition while preserving the competitiveness of Basque industry and positioning the region as an international reference in low-carbon technologies. 

The EIC brings together the actors best placed to develop and deploy renewable fuel technologies: Petronor (the Basque refining and industrial company within the Repsol Group), the Energy Advanced Engineering Foundation (AMPO, TUBACEX, Vicinay Marine and Tubos Reunidos Group), the Basque Hydrogen Corridor (BH2C), Nortegas (the main gas distribution operator in northern Spain), the Basque Energy Agency (EVE), and the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia (the regional government responsible for industrial development and territorial strategy in Bizkaia). This Board composition ensures representation across the full industrial and energy value chain. 

The public side (Diputación Foral de Bizkaia and EVE) ensures alignment with policy, planning and territorial priorities, while industry partners steer technological and deployment decisions from both the supply and demand perspectives. 

The centre is designed to serve as a hub for advanced energy manufacturing, carrying out applied R&D, developing technology projects directly with industry, and attracting initiatives that strengthen the Basque industrial and energy ecosystem. Its strategic focus includes renewable hydrogen, synthetic and biobased fuels, components for advanced energy systems and technologies for hard to abate industrial sectors, ensuring that Basque companies maintain technological leadership throughout the transition. In practice, this means aligning innovation with industrial needs and building the capabilities required for the next generation of low-carbon technologies. 

The model is framed around three pillars of decarbonisation: the ability to produce low carbon hydrogen at scale and at competitive cost; the deployment of transport infrastructure that efficiently connects supply and demand; and the development of synergies that use oxygen and CO₂ to optimise industrial processes and enable the creation of new products.  

This best practice is extracted from our publication ‘Sustainable Regions in Action‘. Discover more best practices here!