The Noia Aerial Surveillance Squadron recovers its vegetation thanks to Fundación AMICOS and Iberdrola

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The Noia Aerial Surveillance Squadron recovers its vegetation thanks to Fundación AMICOS and Iberdrola

  • The planting of more than 7,000 native species will avoid the emission of 1,145 tons of CO2 during its life cycle
  • The AMICOS Foundation has participated in this initiative by helping to populate the range with seedlings
  • Funded by Fundación Iberdrola España, the “Bosque Defensa-Iberdrola” program consists of planting trees annually on Ministry of Defense land

Iberdrola is once again making progress in its commitment to a sustainable energy and development model by promoting the recovery of the vegetation of the Noia Area Surveillance Squadron in Galicia, contributing to the fight against the loss of biodiversity, global warming, and its consequences.

This reforestation, the seventh undertaken by Fundación Iberdrola España within the Bosque-Defensa Iberdrola plan, has involved the planting over an area of 10 hectares of more than 7,000 native trees – 1,175 alders, 2,317 birch, 1,930 oak, 1,544 holly, 386 wild pear, 386 hawthorn – and will prevent the emission of 1,145 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere over 50 years.

The AMICOS Foundation has participated in this initiative by helping in the reforestation work. Both Foundations, which have been collaborating since 2018, have reforested the 10 hectares of the Noia shooting range, in A Coruña where the maintenance work will last 2 years and the investment by the Iberdrola Spain Foundation amounts to 45,000 euros.

The inauguration ceremony was attended, among others, by the general director of Infrastructures, Luis Cebrián; the president of the Iberdrola Spain Foundation, Fernando García; the mayor of Noia, Santiago Freire; the mayor of Lousame, María Teresa Villaverde; the mayor of Porto do Son, Louis Oujo; the mayor of Boiro, José Ramón Romero and the head of the Aerospace Surveillance and Control System EVA 10, José Luis Ortiz-Cañavate.

The objective of the Trees Program is to promote the planting of 20 million trees to absorb 6 million tons of CO2 until 2030. In total, more than 130,000 trees have been planted, with a total of 7 fields inaugurated, in 7 communities: Valladolid, Cádiz, Albacete, Ciudad Real, Toledo, León, and finally Galicia.

Bosque Defensa-Iberdrola

Iberdrola signed 2018 a collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Defense and the General Directorate of Infrastructures for the development of joint initiatives for the improvement, protection, and conservation of the environment in different areas. One of the areas of action highlighted was the conservation of the natural environment.

To this end, these entities agreed to develop a program for the reforestation of the military maneuvering fields owned by this ministry. Iberdrola, through its Foundation, is in charge of carrying out these works in the lands selected by the administration, with the commitment to carry out one every year.

Fundación Iberdrola España is developing this initiative with several reforestation projects in army maneuver and firing ranges. Since the signing of the agreement with the Ministry of Defense, the fields of Renedo-Cabezón (Valladolid) and Sierra del Retín (Cádiz), the Chinchilla field (Albacete), the Colonel Sánchez Bilbao Base (Almagro), the Villatobas Air Surveillance Squadron (Toledo) and the Conde de Gazola Base (León) have been inaugurated. It has also led to the reforestation of the Pinsapo bird species in the Grazalema Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park.

Commitment to decarbonization

Iberdrola began a profound transformation of its business model more than 20 years ago when it opted for a sustainable, safe, and competitive energy model that would enable it to tackle the fight against global climate change.

Today, the Iberdrola group is a global benchmark in the fight against climate change -goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)- and in line with the group’s strategy and commitments to reduce emissions, the company has continued to add renewable capacity during the first half of 2021.

In the specific case of Spain, 90% of production during the past six months has been emission-free, and globally, 80%, without having produced a single megawatt hour with coal between April and June. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Portugal, Iberdrola already generates 100% of its energy with zero emissions.