ACCIONA ENERGY WATER & CONSTRUCTION R&D

The loan will finance the promoter's investments over the 2021-2024 period in research, development and innovation (RDI) in the water treatment, renewable energy and infrastructure sectors. The project also includes transversal investments in digitalisation and other technologies spanning its different business areas.

The aim is to develop value chain solutions that enable customers make a faster transition to renewables energies and to other environmentally friendly applications for water treatment and advanced construction technologies.

The proposed operation supports the Bank's Research, Innovation and Digital objective.

It aims to finance investments in Digitalization and RDI, which are ultimately directed to (i) develop new materials, processes and technologies in order to build sustainable infrastructures and (ii) to increase the efficiency of renewable energy generation.

The project, which has a substantial portion of early stage research, generates positive knowledge externalities through cooperation with suppliers, customers, scientific institutes and universities. It also generates environmental positive externalities arising from the deployment of technologies and products with lower carbon footprint. It contributes to enabling access to renewable energies, advanced water treatment, more sustainable construction techniques and to digital services. Moreover, the project will also help maintaining and creating highly skilled jobs in the promoter's various research facilities in Spain, some of which are located in EU cohesion regions.

The EIB provides a long-term financing combined with customized and flexible financial terms and conditions, which mirrors well the time horizon of R&D activities.

The project includes RDI activities that are not specifically mentioned under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive and that will be carried out in existing facilities without changing their already authorised scope. The project will therefore not require an EIA under the directive 2014/52/EU amending directive 2011/92/EU.

The promoter is a private company with a part of its activities in the utilities sector. The exact status of the promoter will be checked during the project appraisal to confirm whether the promoter is covered by EU Directives on procurement or not.

The EIB financing will support the promoter in its effort to deepen European knowledge in various technologies and systems in the fields of water treatment, waste recovery, renewable energy and construction. The final beneficiaries of the EIB Financing will be Acciona SA for an amount of up to EUR 67m and Corporación Acciona Energías Renovables for an amount of up to EUR 43m.