IBERDROLA Chairman Receives Commander of the Order of the British Empire Award

IBERDROLA chairman, Ignacio Galán, has been invested by the British Ambassador in Spain, Simon Manley, as Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

This honorary award, bestowed by HM Queen Elizabeth II on recommendation of the British Government, recognises the important role played by Galán in the development of the UK’s energy industry and strengthening trade and investment links between the United Kingdom and Spain.

During his acceptance speech at the 26th British-Hispanic Tertulias, taking place in Bilbao, the Chairman of IBERDROLA reiterated his determination to continue working for the good of the United Kingdom and the intensification of its bilateral relations with Spain.

“Today I commit to continue building bridges between Spain and the United Kingdom and strengthen economic, trade and cultural ties between both countries, based on cooperation and mutual trust,” said Galán.

Ignacio Galán explained that the integration with ScottishPower in 2007 became the first significant decision towards Iberdrola’s international growth that he took after joining the Group. He also highlighted that, today, over 30,000 people work for the Group in the UK –including employees and suppliers– and that “we now supply electricity and gas to over 5.6 million customers –in Scotland, England and Wales– through 75,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines and 35 power generation plants, with wind playing a key role since we are the UK’s leading wind energy operator” and “we manage assets valued at over €23 billion.”

Finally, Galán said: “Since the integration with ScottishPower, we have invested over €9 billion in the United Kingdom and we plan to invest another €13 billion by the end of this decade” in the framework of “our strong commitment to guaranteeing energy supply in a country requiring large energy industry investments, thus contributing to its social and economic development.” 

IBERDROLA projects in United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, IBERDROLA currently faces a period of growth in the transmission and distribution business and renewable energy projects, both onshore and offshore. To this end, the company plans to invest €4,000 million in the country over the 2014-2016 period, representing 41% of total Group investments, which will create 4,500 new jobs in the coming years.

The Company currently operates 6,460 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity in the UK, of which over 1,600 MW are renewables, while servicing more than 5.6 million electricity and gas customers. IBERDROLA´s major projects being undertaken include:

• The first subsea electricity connection between Scotland and England, a 420 kilometer submarine transmission cable, being built jointly with National Grid and scheduled for commercial operation in 2016. This will increase bi-directional electricity transmission capacity between these countries by more than 2,000 MW. This new, cutting-edge power link involves an investment of about £1,000 million pounds.
• Offshore wind development, with the creation, in early 2010, of an Offshore Business Division based in London and Glasgow to channel project development in several European countries. In the United Kingdom, the West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm, the Company’s first worldwide, will be officially opened in the coming days.

Born in Salamanca (Spain), in 1950, Ignacio Galán is married and father of four children. He graduated in electromechanical industrial engineering at ICAI; he also holds a diploma in Business Administration from ICADE, and in Business Administration and Foreign Trade from the Industrial Organization School (EOI) in Madrid. Ignacio Galán’s appointment in 2001 as executive vice-chairman and CEO of IBERDROLA marked the beginning of one of the most important and successful business transformations in recent Spanish corporate history.

His commitment to international expansion and clean energy has enabled IBERDROLA, with presence in 40 countries and more than 28,000 employees, to become the leading Spanish energy company, the world leader in wind power and one of the largest European energy utilities by market capitalization.

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Press release; Image: IBERDROLA