05.04.2019 | Axpo Iberia now supplies Madrid's urban transport services
Anyone who rents an e-bike from the local public transport provider in the Spanish capital will in future be rushing across the Plazas, Paseos and Avenidas with electricity from Axpo. Thanks to a green electricity guarantee, emissions of more than 154 tons of CO2 per year can be avoided.
Axpo Iberia is one of the leading players in the renewable energy market on the Iberian peninsula. Axpo's subsidiary not only supplies the cathedral of Palma de Mallorca, the landmark of the popular holiday island, with green electricity, but has also ensured, by means of a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), that for the first time ever a photovoltaic system without any public subsidies can be built in the Portuguese city of Évora.
Now comes the next bang: Madrid's municipal transport services (Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid, EMT) have awarded Axpo Iberia the contract to supply all BiciMAD stations with green electricity. The abbreviation BiciMAD stands for a rental service for e-bikes that enables the inhabitants of the Spanish capital and the numerous tourists to get from one place to another quickly, conveniently and climate-friendly within the city limits.
The bike-sharing service BiciMAD is managed by EMT and currently has 165 charging stations and 2’028 electric bicycles. More than 3.7 million trips are made each year with those bikes. The next expansion of BiciMAD is already planned, with 42 new stations to be added and 468 additional bicycles to be purchased. This will also expand the network in the city, a total of eight districts will be accessible with EMT's e-bikes in the future.
Axpo Iberia will provide the electricity for the BiciMAD charging stations for one year, and there is also the option of extending the contract for a further three years. In the agreement with EMT, it was stated that 100% of the electricity supplied should come from renewable energy production plants. This will save around 154 tonnes of CO2 per year.
"Like EMT, Axpo Iberia is clearly committed to environmental protection. With this agreement, we are jointly contributing to creating a sustainable and ecologically sensible public transport system in Madrid that significantly minimizes greenhouse gas emissions," said Ignacio Soneira, CEO of Axpo Iberia, commenting on the signing of the agreement.
Since its foundation in 2002, Axpo Iberia has provided comprehensive energy solutions for producers, consumers and other participants in the local energy market, procures energy for SMEs and end customers and offers risk management solutions. The focus has always been on sustainable business in the field of renewable energies: Axpo is Spain's No. 1 in wind farm management and markets electricity from wind turbines with an installed capacity of around 6,000 MW for its customers there. Axpo has its own production facilities for wind power, solar energy and biomass throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
Also, the company is strongly active in the energy efficiency business and seen as the leading energy supplier for large end consumers in Spain. Axpo's Madrid-based subsidiary also plays a pioneering role in the field of power purchase agreements. More than 7 TWh of energy are supplied annually to industrial and SME customers as flexible and tailor-made products.