Iberdrola honors ten rural and industrial initiatives at the 2026 Convive Awards in Sigüenza

Third edition of the Convive Awards in Sigüenza

Iberdrola España presented the third edition of its Convive Awards at the El Pósito Cultural Auditorium in Sigüenza, Guadalajara, on 30 September 2026. The ceremony brought together more than 150 attendees, including Iberdrola España chief executive officer Mario Ruiz-Tagle, Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano García-Page, and Sigüenza mayor María Jesús Merino. Journalist Raquel Martín and television presenter Jesús Calleja hosted the event. The awards honored ten initiatives across six categories, focusing on the coexistence of clean energy installations, agricultural activities, biodiversity, and rural economic growth. The program aims to encourage territorial cohesion, local employment, and environmental integration as the energy transition expands beyond electricity generation into electrical grids and regional industry.

Industrial innovation and biodiversity initiatives

In the Innovation with Impact category, Iberdrola recognized Bayer España for its total decarbonization of the active ingredient production for Aspirin at its facility in Asturias. The pharmaceutical initiative reduces manufacturing emissions to near zero, avoiding more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Birka Composites also received an award in this division for deploying rural-based composite manufacturing that generates qualified technical jobs for young workers while safeguarding local ecosystems. In the Biodiversity Preservation category, the Basque Government earned distinction for its grid integration and digitization program within the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. The Basque project combines electrical network modernization with landscape restoration and habitat protection.

Rural repopulation and community leadership

In the Transformative Entrepreneurship category, the jury awarded Proyecto Arraigo, an initiative established in Soria in 2016 and supported by the Diputación de Cuenca. The project connects renewable energy developers with rural municipal services, facilitating housing, schooling, and employment to help settle more than 600 families across nearly 100 rural towns. The industrial heating and cooling cluster in Lucena, Córdoba, also secured an award in the entrepreneurship division, recognizing its regional manufacturing base that sustains 3,200 skilled jobs in heat pumps and climate control equipment. In Community Leadership, Silvia Gómez, president of the neighborhood board of La Costana in Cantabria, received an award for developing a local wind energy community. The Cuenca municipalities of Víllora and Enguídanos were also recognized for building the Víllora-Las Chorreras del Cabriel trail through public-private cooperation in the Cabriel Valley Biosphere Reserve.

Youth development and regional communication

The ceremony concluded with recognitions for education and regional media coverage. UNICEF España received the Young Talent Recognition award for training vulnerable young people in technical disciplines linked to decarbonization. In the Communication with Purpose category, Spanish regional newspapers Las Provincias and El Comercio were honored for their coverage of local energy and territorial issues. Pablo Salazar, opinion editor of Las Provincias, accepted the distinction for his publication, while ABC deputy director Alfonso Aldeyturriaga received the award on behalf of El Comercio. Addressing the assembly, Iberdrola leadership reiterated the economic and strategic role of electrification across rural Spain.

Electrification will be one of the great economic drivers of the 21st century and an essential response to reinforce energy security, competitiveness and the decarbonization of Europe.