elENGLISH Periòdic EDITION NewsM O N 3 1 Interview with the General Manager of Nord Andorrà Review of five years in office and future projects « is very late3 in terms of energy investments» DAVID FORNÉ Industrial engineer and general manager of Nord Andorrà

EL PERIÒDIC

The general manager of Nord Andorrà, David Forné. 33 NATALIA MENA a benchmark in the field. ce we contacted the Massana muni- Northern Andorra, where with our cipality, which is the owner of the Board of Directors we managed @PeriodicAND –Which are the entities and institu- land, where they valued the initiati- everything very quickly, so things On May 19th we woke up with the tions promoting the park? ve very positively, as it is part of the flowed so that the project could see news of a new solar park in Valln- –About a year ago we started talking philosophy of reducing the ecologi- the light at an express pace. ord, which will produce 2,400,000 to Josep Marticella, director of the cal footprint and a series of sustaina- “We are leading kWh per year becoming the largest Vallnord-Pal station, becau- ble actions that the institution has –Why was this location chosen? in the country with 21,000 square se they are concerned about being the will to carry it out, so finally a investments in green –We needed to find a place that did meters, a total of 5,320 units of so- able to be a sustainable station and three-way agreement was made, so energy and domestic not have a very ecological impact lar panels and an investment of 2.2 contribute to the issue of renewable we have the approval of La Massana, and that had the services nearby, be- million euros. David Forné, General energy. We were studying different which has the concession in Valln- production; we are cause for distribution reasons, these Manager of Nord Andorrà, gave an options and this location came out ord-Pal Arinsal. leaders in the private facilities must be able to connect to interview to EL PERIÒDIC to explain in the Planell de la Tosa, in the sector our infrastructures and in front of in more detail what this macro-pro- of Pal, which could be viable to ma- –How long have you been preparing transition” this land pass our lines . Therefore, ject that is part of the “Massana Sos- ke the solar park, taking into acco- this project? all the necessary elements matched tenible” action plan, which aims to unt various criteria, such as not af- –Normally these types of proposals «15% of the energy quite well; perhaps the only limita- promote green energy and the com- fecting the same activity of the sta- take a long time, but I must say that tion or technical difficulty has be- mitment that by 2022 a third of elec- tion, that it was an isolated place, this has been done in a record peri- comes from the en the height (2,300 meters), but cal- tricity consumption at the station that at an ecological level there was od. I think it has been done so quic- plant, culations have been carried out to will come from renewable sources. not a large felling of trees, nor a very kly because there has been a lot of create higher structures for when it The industrial engineer, an enthusi- significant environmental impact, goodwill from all parties involved; built in 1934. Nothing snows and plates have been purcha- ast of renewable energies, took over and that, apart from that, it had a both the station and the municipa- has been done since sed that can withstand the weight of the management of Nord Andorrà good orientation to be able to ob- lity, which after the pandemic we the snow and wind that may occur in 2016 and since then he has wor- tain the greatest number of hours are suffering, needed positive news then.» up there, made with specific materi- ked tirelessly to make the company of sunshine. Once we found the pla- for the population, as well as from als, which have already been tested www.elperiodic.ad SATURDAY, 29 MAY 2021 el Periòdic News 2

Interview with the General Manager of Nord Andorrà Review of five years in office and future projects Pages 1 and 2 LLL

3 in other similar facilities. we will build in the Planell de la To- late with regard to energy invest- together with the council of that ti- demic. sa. Finally, this year we are finishing ments. I also have serious doubts me. This made it possible to use the –Have they been based in any facili- the Aixovall mini-hydraulic power about the investments that have be- surplus energy from Escaldes, spe- –What has been the most complica- ty outside Andorra? plant, which will supply around a en made in liquefied gas in recent ti- cifically from Roc de les Anelletes, ted adversity you have had to face in –Yes, we studied and collected in- thousand homes in Sant Julià. We mes in the Valley. For exam- where they had a surplus from a to- your management? formation from other places where are leading investments with green ple, transportation is done by truck, bacco factory, which was active in –In 2015, we won a public tender for such facilities exist, specifically so- energy and domestic production, which strikes me a bit. I think we ne- the factory during the day, but did various hydraulic installations; the me locations in Germany and a ski which makes us leaders in the ener- ed to bet on modern, 21st century, not produce at night. We put lines one in Arcalís, which we launched slope in Pitztal (Austria), which is an gy transition to the private level. We sustainable facilities. Nord Andor- up to the high parishes, the society in 2017, and the one I mentioned alpine valley located in Tyrol , that are the main players in renewable rà, in the last five years, is producing was created, shares were issued, the in Aixovall, which we will launch is, places where rainfall occurs in energy, clean and made 100% in An- 6% of its energy, if we add La Massa- people of the village bought them in 2021. It has been seven years sin- the form of snow, winds, or harsher dorra, which will allow us to have na, and Sant Julià; with an and began to do, first, the lighting ce we were awarded them because weather conditions, and in accor- this much needed energy indepen- investment of approximately seven of the streets and then the houses. we had a problem with the previ- dance with these indicators, we ha- dence so as not to have to depend so million euros we can supply 3,200 The initial shareholders may have ous communal team, who blocked ve gone to look for the material spe- much on the outside. homes. been 10 or 20 houses, and each year our project. This was a somewhat cifically in factories that meet these So far, we have carried out all the- the shares expanded among famili- desperate situation for me, becau- requirements. se installations with our own funds. –Since its creation, Nord Andorrà es, to date there are more than 100 se we had already done all the stu- We have a very ambitious plan to has been a society with only its foun- shareholders. dies, we had spent our money and –What are the most outstanding te- make more such investments, but ding partners. Have you considered we had everything to start working, chnical characteristics? if the government removes the con- raising capital to accommodate new –In 2020, Nord Andorrà celebrated but they did not give us the license –The resistance of the panels, which cessions that need to come out and partners and at the same time capi- its 100th anniversary. What does it to do the works. This blockade las- is 800 kilos per square meter, so that builds bigger infrastructure, other talize more on the company in order mean to you to be part of the centen- ted four years, until a change of com- they can withstand the snowfall; ways or sources of funding will pro- to make new investments? nial history of this company? munal government took place; this then, the structures that are a litt- bably have to be sought. –In 1920 the company began its ac- –I����������������������������������� am an industrial engineer, I stu- caused me a lot of anxiety. I felt very le higher than normal, and the tech- tivity with a series of houses in the died the specialty of energy and en- helpless. When there are projects li- nology, which is cutting edge, and –When is it planned to have it finis- parishes of La Massana and Ordino, vironment and precisely when I joi- ke this, all the agents have to be very which will be a fully autonomous hed and in operation? which were concerned with brin- ned the company I told the directors involved, otherwise there is a lot of station, which will be controlled –At the end of September this year. ging electricity to the Valls del Nord, that one of the things I wanted to uncertainty that becomes difficult from the offices of Nord Andorrà in We need to take advantage of the go- promote and carry out were renewa- to manage. La Massana. It will only need to be od summer months to get it ready. ble projects. They welcomed it very upgraded if there is a breakdown or In fact, we bought the plates as so- well, because work had already be- –What is the balance of these fi- maintenance. on as we signed the agreement and gun on this line and therefore it fit ve years at the helm of the electric the structures will arrive later this in perfectly with the strategic plan company? –How was the investment made to week to start work. The idea is that that was being followed. I had alre- –Very positive. I am a pretty restless carry it out? it could be up and running in Octo- «Our desire is to ady dedicated myself to conventio- person with the subject of renewa- –North Andorran’s investments ber. The construction will be carried nal construction, and being able to ble energies and seeing that little by have been made over time to bury out by a company from the country, combine sources join a company like Nord Andorrà little investments are being made power lines. In the parishes of La so around thirty jobs will be created of solar energy and as a director to develop projects of that you make and that they are pro- Massana and Ordino there is virtu- in different shifts, and the materials this nature was something that ma- ducing and that are on the agenda ally no overhead wiring, this has be- have been bought from specialized hydraulics to try de me very excited. So, bottom line is makes you feel good and strong to en the result of large investments companies in central Europe. to escape fossil that I’m really looking forward to it. do it more. that have been made in terms of un- derground lines and have been very –What other projects does Nord An- fuels» –During the pandemic, everyone su- –What would be your desire for the expensive. Once this goal has been dorrà have underway? ffered a lot. How have they helped direction of Northern Andorra in the achieved, between 2015 and 2016, –�������������������������������The one at the Aixovall hydrau- «We hope to recover their users and customers from Nor- future? the company changed direction a lic power station is the most immi- thern Andorra? –So far, we are making investments bit and decided to start investing in nent, it will be up and running in a little in the summer –We talked to all the distributors, at a local level in La Massana, Ordino renewable energy, so they have be- about a month. We have been wor- and at the end of the and they met with the government and Sant Julià; I would like to be able gun to materialize projects that gi- king for a year and this is a large ins- to see how we could help. It was fi- to make the leap nationally with lar- ve added value to conventional in- tallation, comparable to that of the year, but it will be very nally decided that the compani- ge-scale investments, look for strate- vestments such as the Nord Andorrà Planell solar park, so our desire is to difficult to reach pre- es that requested it would have ta- gic partners, collaborate with FEDA warehouse, where we did a small so- combine solar and hydraulic energy riff reductions, some sections we- directly, contributing our knowled- lar installation in 2016; then, with sources to try to escape fossil fuels, pandemic levels» re agreed so that there would be no ge in renewables and positioning our Persian subsidiary, and toget- which are very more polluting, and differences between parishes and the company as a benchmark in this her with the Sant Julià Electric Mu- make as many renewables as we can. it would be the same for everyone, field. On the other hand, we must tual Society, we built the Arcalís mi- Obviously, we will not reach 10% of and this is what has been done so far. position Andorra in Europe as a mo- ni-hydroelectric power plant, which green production, because renewa- We, financially as an electric com- dern state that is not anchored in serves almost 100% of the energy ne- ble energy is intermittent, if there is pany, have also suffered a drop in re- the past. I think it’s a bit like they see eded by the station, so we could say no sun or no water, you do not pro- venue by 2020 and think that 2021 us, the issue of green energy is the that it is a green infrastructure; we duce electricity, so it is important to will be even worse, because the ye- order of the day, a lot of European also reached an agreement with the combine the two. ar has started very badly by losing investment bank funds are going in station to make the cable car for the Currently, 85% of energy is boug- the winter season from January to that direction. If we go with pionee- arrival at La Caubella, and in 2018, ht abroad, only 15% is produced in March; we hope to go back a little ring projects to seek European fun- we launched what has been the lar- the country, which comes from the in the summer and be able to take ding, they will surely pay attention gest photovoltaic park in Andorra Engolasters plant, made in 1934. advantage of the end of the year as to us and put us on the map, which so far, the Agora school, with 420 Since that year until now it has not well, but it will still be very difficult up to now we are not and have not kWh, currently surpassed by what been made nothing, Andorra is very to reach the levels before the pan- been. H