Context:

The Greater Region of the Basque Country, also known as Euskal Herria, is the combination of two NUTS2 regions of Spain (Basque Country and Navarre) and a NUTS3 region from France (Pyrénées-Atlantiques). Characterised by a high industrialisation level, including steel, foundries, pulp and paper, oil refinery, agro-food, and cement plants, the region also reflects a rich socio-cultural heritage deeply rooted in Basque language and traditions, among the oldest in Europe.

However, joint industrial strategies across the regions are limited, with each area pursuing its own agenda and strategies. In the Basque region, the regional government has created the Basque Net-Zero Industrial Supercluster to spearhead cross-sector initiatives aimed at achieving deep decarbonisation in the years to come. This initiative focuses on opportunities such as hydrogen integration, electrification, and industrial synergies to drive sustainable growth.

Nevertheless, until now, these actions and strategies are supported only by old spreadsheet models, lacking the capacity to incorporate crucial elements outlined in the region’s strategies, such as hydrogen generation, industrial symbiosis, and flexibility potentials. Updating these models to reflect the current priorities is essential for effectively guiding future industrial and energy policies.

Which scenarios will be demonstrated?

iDesignRES scenarios and demonstration will focus on:

• Industrial symbiosis, especially Waste-to-energy.

• Circular Economy and Bioeconomy plan: device life-cycle, resource efficiency, reuse of waste streams.

• Hydrogen production and use at the transport, industry and building sectors.

• No external dependency (materials/energy).

• Hydrogen and alternatives decarbonisation routes.

• Better interconnection of the dense gas infrastructure becoming gas hub for EU.

• Food-Energy-Water-Waste joint strategies.