Pamplona is preparing to become the European capital of renewable energy during the upcoming 4th International Congress of the Energy Transition Industry (CITE 2025). This biennial event, organised by ENERCLUSTER with the special collaboration of the Government of Navarre, will bring together leading experts and global leaders in the wind, solar, storage and green hydrogen sectors on 23 October at the Navarre Conference Centre and Auditorium, Baluarte.
CITE 2025 is sponsored on this occasion by Acciona Energía, Nordex Group and Ingeteam, as TERApartners; Grupo Enhol, Laulagun Bearings, Nabrawind, Repsol and Sakana Group, as GIGApartner sponsors; along with ARENA, ARPA Abogados Consultores, Array, Industrial Barranquesa, Beeplanet, EDP Renewables, Elektra, EnergyLoop, EOSOL, IED, Grupo Inerzia, Leadernet, Renercycle, Ríos Renovables, Rose Holm, SIG, Statkraft, and Urgon as MEGApartners.
In this regard, this year’s edition is a record-breaker, as tickets sold out two weeks before the event. This milestone is due to two main reasons. Firstly, an ambitious and comprehensive programme of presentations given by leading international and national professionals in the renewable energy sector.
In addition, attendees at this forum will have access to important networking opportunities and professional meetings. “We are very proud because CITE 2025 will be much more than a forum: it has established itself as the international meeting point for leaders in the renewable energy sector. It is the only place where all renewable technologies come together to continue transforming this industry from Navarre to the rest of the world,” said Aitor Erquicia, president of ENERCLUSTER, the organising body, during the presentation of the conference at the Ventum Academy wind power training facilities, part of the Inerzia Group, one of the sponsors of CITE 2025.
To meet the high demand for tickets, the organization has opened a new sales option specifically for the evening sessions, which can be purchased through this link.
For her part, Garbiñe Basterra, Director General of Energy and Digital Transition, Business R&D&I and Entrepreneurship, highlighted during this press conference the importance of the renewable energy sector for Navarre, as it ‘provides 8,380 direct jobs in more than 1,000 different companies, with a turnover that exceeded €3.744 billion in 2023 and has been on an upward trend since 2020’.
With this data, he pointed out that ‘we must move towards a 100% renewable Navarre and, therefore, we are seeking and promoting renewable energy solutions with zero emissions in energy production, clean energy distribution and management solutions, and economically viable energy storage solutions’. He therefore called for joint efforts to ‘ensure the preservation and increased competitiveness of the renewable industrial fabric in our community.’
In achieving this goal, he stated that public-private collaboration is crucial, not only with companies, but also with technology centres, universities and clusters. ‘That is why the Government of Navarre is working closely with Enercluster to make this essential event a reality.’
Meanwhile, Kiko Maza, director of CITE 2025, defined it as ‘a strategic meeting point to better understand the present and future of the renewable sector.’ ‘In an industry as dynamic as renewables, events such as CITE 2025 are key to shedding light on the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, with the help of some global leaders,’ he stressed.
The conference will kick off a day earlier, on Wednesday 22 October, with the traditional welcome dinner in the Sala Muralla at Baluarte, a historic venue that will kick off the networking opportunities.
Thursday 23rd October will begin with the institutional opening, which the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, has just confirmed he will attend, accompanying María Chivite, President of the Regional Government of Navarre, and Aitor Erquicia, President of Enercluster.
TABLES AND KEY PLAYERS
The first round table, dedicated to the wind power sector, will bring together the CEOs of some of the most important companies in the international arena. Under the title ‘Wind CEO Round Table’, it will address how a sector of great industrial, strategic and energy value is currently facing challenges such as auctions, tariffs, Chinese competition and the processing of permits. Participants will include José Luis Blanco (CEO, Nordex Group), Torsten Tiefel (CEO, Silbitz Group GmbH), Michael Larsen (CEO, SM Industries) and Adolfo Rebollo (CEO, Ingeteam), with Brian Gaylord, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, acting as moderator.
This will be followed by a debate on ‘International experiences in defending the renewable value chain’. Countries such as the US, India and Brazil have introduced legislation to encourage local manufacturing and strengthen the value chain. The panel will discuss whether Europe, with its NZIA, is really up to the task. Participants will include Mike Carr (Executive Director, Solar Energy Manufacturers of America), Ruben Davis (Senior Policy Officer, Cleantech for Europe) and Silvia Gavorníková (Head of Export Credits and Competition Division, OECD), moderated by Iker Chasco, Managing Director of Enercluster.
After the coffee break, the conversation will turn to solar energy and storage with the session ‘Developers’ CEO Roundtable,’ focusing on the challenges and opportunities for developers in a context marked by zero or negative prices, increasing curtailments, administrative obstacles and stagnant demand. The discussion will feature Arantza Ezpeleta (CEO, Acciona Energía), João Costeira (Executive Managing Director, Low Carbon Generation, Repsol) and Rocío Sicre (Managing Director Spain, EDP Renovables). The debate will be moderated by Kiko Maza, Director of Communication at Enercluster and Director of CITE 2025.
This will be followed by the ‘PV & Storage CEO Roundtable’ will discuss the strategic role of these industries in Europe and whether it is feasible to compete with the Chinese giant. Hervé Amossé (EVP, SAFT Energy Storage Solutions), Christoph Podewils (Secretary General, European Solar Manufacturing Council), Laurent Bodin (Chief Commercial Officer Holosolis) and Marc Rechter (CEO MCPV) will be in attendance. Edurne Zoco, Head of Technologies and Supply Chains, Energy Transition at S&P Global Commodity Insights, will moderate.
Following this round table, at 2:15 p.m., there will be a networking lunch, a space designed to continue the conversations in a more relaxed atmosphere.
EVENING PROGRAMME
In the afternoon, the programme will give way to parallel sessions in two rooms at Baluarte.
The O&M Panel will be held in the Sala Cámara, where participants will discuss how new technologies—such as artificial intelligence, drones and robots—can revolutionise operation and maintenance services, one of the fastest-growing and most profitable businesses. Participants will include Eduardo Medina (CEO, RES), Juan Otazu (Production Director, Acciona Energía) and Javier Amelivia (CEO Wind, Spie). Elisa Manero, president of AEMER, will moderate.
Simultaneously, the Energy Storage Panel will take place in the Luneta Room. It will raise questions about the viability of the Spanish market, lessons learned from other more mature markets and the future beyond lithium batteries. Speakers will include Rodrigo Harstein (Head of Portfolio Management – Battery Energy Storage Systems at Siemens Energy), Peer Piske (Managing Partner at Alantra), Susana Gómez (Head of Renewable Energy at Nexus) and Will Broad (Global Director of Policy and Market of Long Duration Storage at LDES Council), moderated by Eugenio Domínguez, Vice-President of AEPIBAL.
At 4:30 p.m., the parallel sessions will continue. In the Chamber Room, the Panel on Green Hydrogen will open, addressing the realistic expectations of this technology and its competitive applications. Participants will include Susana de Pablo (Managing Director of Engineering, Technology and Digitalisation at Enagas), Alan Ripa (CEO of Acciona Plug), Juan Peña (Chief Corporate Business and Institutional Affairs Officer at Grupo Enhol), Carlos Ayuso (Technology Development & New Ventures Director at Moeve) and Luis Solla (CEO of Nordex Electrolyzers), moderated by Antonio González (Vice President of the Spanish Hydrogen Association-AeH2).
Meanwhile, in the Luneta Room, the Grid Panel will focus on the role of the electricity grid in the energy transition and its capacity to integrate the current and future deployment of renewables. The panel will feature Alfredo García-Borreguero (Managing Director Spain Hitachi Energy), José Manuel Pérez (Director of Regulation at EDP Spain), Eduardo Pedrosa (Managing Director Transmission & Distribution at Ingeteam) and Concha Sánchez (General Director of Operations at Red Eléctrica), moderated by Héctor de Lama (Technical Director at UNEF).
After another coffee break at 5:30 p.m., the day will conclude with a keynote speech at 6:00 p.m. by Yana Popkostova, founder of ECEGA, who will offer her perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the European renewable energy industry in the current geopolitical context.
The conference will conclude at 6:45 p.m. with the institutional closing ceremony, led by Mikel Irujo, Minister of Economic and Business Development of the Government of Navarre, and Aitor Erquicia, President of Enercluster.
For more information and the full agenda: https://congresocite.com/agenda
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