The Galicia Renewable Energies Cluster (Cluergal) has awarded the Energy Days 2026 prizes to the best initiatives carried out in the Galician energy sector. ECOticias.com has been the Official Media Partner of the event.
These distinctions were granted to the actions of the companies RDG-Recursos de Galicia, E.Nova Enerxía and Sentiec (all based in Santiago de Compostela), XEAL Xallas Electricidad y Aleaciones (Cee) and the Eneports project, led by ITG (A Coruña), as well as to the professional José Manuel Pazo, president of the Galician Wind Association. Additionally, a distinction was awarded to Paula Oliete, former Deputy Director of Enerxía of the Xunta de Galicia.
The presentation of the Energy Days awards was chaired by Pablo Fernández Vila, the Director General of Energy Planning and Mines; and Nonito Aneiros, the secretary of Cluergal; during Energetic Night, held in Santiago, which saw about a hundred attendees.
The Energy Days are the awards that “recognize and distinguish the good actions undertaken in the Galician energy sector in matters of energy efficiency, innovation, entrepreneurship and renewable energies,” highlighted.
Resources of Galicia
Thus, the Compostela-based company RDG-Recursos de Galicia was recognized “for promoting a pioneering model to reconcile the sustainable use of Galicia’s natural resources with generating economic and social value in the local territory,” noted Cluergal’s jury.
The Energy Days prize was collected by Manuel Galdo, president of RDG-Recursos de Galicia, from Ángeles Santos Casal, director of Human Resources and Institutional Relations at Genesal Energy.
RDG-Recursos de Galicia is a public-private company created with the aim of participating in projects related to renewable energy production and the exploitation of other strategic natural resources, promoting a model in which Galicia and its local communities can directly participate in the benefits derived from its development.
Its approach also includes goals such as promoting the participation of the Galician business fabric, fostering self-consumption and energy efficiency, and enabling projects to generate new economic and business opportunities in their spheres of influence.
“This recognition highlights an innovative public-private collaboration model that links the energy transition, the sustainable use of resources and economic development, aiming for a significant portion of the wealth generated by local resources to stay in and reinvest in Galicia,” detailed Cluergal.
XEAL
XEAL (Xallas Electricidad y Aleaciones SAU) was honored at the Energy Days for the lighting project developed at its new charcoal factory in Dumbría (A Coruña), “a project that stands out for combining innovation, energy efficiency, and adaptation to a highly demanding industrial environment,” emphasized the jury. María Couto, CEO of XEAL, collected the prize from Santiago González, a consultant and legal analyst at Integria.
The project has been developed using advanced 3D design and simulation tools, which have allowed optimizing the lighting distribution, validating the required illumination levels, and defining the most efficient solution before execution.
The installation has been designed to withstand particularly harsh conditions, with dust, temperature variations and heavy use of the facilities. To this end, high-robustness, efficiency and reliability luminaires have been chosen, capable of guaranteeing operation and durability while reducing maintenance needs.
“The result combines high-quality lighting with significant energy savings, greater durability and low maintenance, ensuring the operational continuity of the installation. This recognition valorizes the inclusion of energy efficiency from the design phase and the application of technological solutions that contribute to a more efficient, reliable and sustainable industry,” noted Cluergal.
E.Nova Enerxía
Xurso López, cofounder and executive director of E.Nova Enerxía, received from Miguel Sanjuan, northern project manager at Ledvance, the Energy Days Award for Energy Efficiency.
E.Nova Enerxía has been recognized for the development, together with GADISA Retail, of a distributed photovoltaic generation project for self-consumption that has been progressively rolled out since 2022 in supermarkets and logistics centers across various parts of Galicia.
The initiative is based on a distributed generation model, producing renewable energy directly at the points of consumption and thus helping to reduce losses associated with electricity transport, improve the energy efficiency of facilities, and advance toward greater energy autonomy.
The project began in 2022 with a first photovoltaic installation at a supermarket in Arteixo and since then has expanded to its current installed photovoltaic capacity of 1.17 MW, with an estimated annual production of 1,520.8 MWh.
This renewable generation allows avoiding approximately 542 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. E.Nova Enerxía supports GADISA in the development and deployment of these installations, bringing its expertise and specialization in self-consumption and distributed generation solutions.
This Energy Days prize “recognizes a project with measurable results and the potential for extension to multiple consumption centers, as well as the collaboration between two Galician companies to drive energy efficiency, decarbonization and distributed renewable generation, while contributing to value creation in the territory,” concluded Cluergal.
ITG, ENEPORTS project
Cluergal also recognized at the Energy Days the Institute of Galicia Technology (ITG) for the ENEPORTS project, a European initiative led from Galicia that investigates new solutions to advance decarbonization and digitalization of Atlantic ports.
“ENEPORTS proposes turning port environments into laboratories of renewable energies, analyzing how digitalization and artificial intelligence can help to efficiently manage energy flows and facilitate the integration of different renewable technologies,” the jury noted. The project includes three demonstrator pilots in the ports of Ferrol, Granadilla and Leixões.
ITG leads the international consortium and brings its expertise in digitalization and energy management to address one of the major challenges of these new ecosystems: smartly deciding when to produce, consume, store or distribute energy, integrating sources and demands of different natures.
“This recognition highlights the capacity for R&D+i developed in Galicia to lead international energy-transition projects, helping to transform ports into smarter, more efficient and sustainable infrastructures and placing the Port of Ferrol among Europe’s demonstrators of this new energy model,” concluded Cluergal’s jury.
The Energy Days prize was collected by Santiago Rodríguez Charlón, director of ITG’s Energy Division, and was handed over by Javier Cebey, Sustainable Financing Manager at BBVA.
SENTIEC
Cluergal recognized SENTIEC at the Energy Days, a company founded in 2025 by a team of engineers with extensive experience in rotating equipment, for its commitment to applying innovation, digitalization and specialized knowledge to improving the reliability of industrial and energy assets.
The company specializes in condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of critical rotating machines, such as turbines, electric generators, compressors, pumps and motors. Their solutions automate and optimize data acquisition and processing, apply advanced analytics algorithms, and integrate the results with other asset-management tools.
Its methodology combines the knowledge of specialist engineers with machine-learning tools capable of detecting anomalies and identifying incipient faults, allowing anticipation of potential failures and reducing unplanned downtime. SENTIEC complements this activity with engineering services and a technical office, offering comprehensive support throughout the asset life cycle, from design to operation.
As a young company, SENTIEC continues to pursue innovation through the development of digital twins that integrate sensing, operating data and behavioral models, in collaboration with universities and technological centers.
“This recognition from the Energy Days highlights the birth in Galicia of a new technology company that brings specialized knowledge and advanced solutions to achieve more reliable, efficient and resilient industrial and energy installations,” Cluergal emphasizes. Héctor García Pájaro, CEO of SENTIEC Tecnología SL, collected the Energy Days prize from Óscar Salgado, regional director of Abanca in A Coruña.
José Manuel Pazo: Energy Communication Award
The Energy Days award for the best communicator in energy matters went to José Manuel Pazo Paniagua, president of the Galician Wind Association (EGA), for his long career and, in particular, for a vocation of communication and scientific and energy dissemination that has marked his professional life. The distinction was presented by María Landeira, head of Renewable Projects Development at Naturgy.
Pazo Paniagua’s engagement with dissemination began during his studies at the Vigo School of Engineering, when he balanced his studies with science teaching.
Later, during his professional period at the public company Gestenga, he brought that vocation to the dissemination of renewables that were still relatively unknown, participating in activities at schools and bringing concepts and technologies to young people that would eventually become protagonists of the energy transition.
As president of the Galician Wind Association, he has continued to develop an active communications role, participating in conferences, forums, business meetings, outreach activities and media appearances. A work characterized by his ability to address technical and complex issues in an approachable way, seeking new topics and approaches capable of engaging very different audiences.
“This recognition from the Energy Days highlights a career in which teaching, communicating and disseminating have always been linked to his professional activity, as well as his contribution to bringing renewable energies closer to society and promoting greater knowledge of the Galician energy sector, its challenges, evolution, and importance for Galicia’s economic and industrial development,” Cluergal concludes as they present him with the Energy Days award.
Energy Days Recognition for Career
Finally, an additional special Energy Days recognition was awarded to Paula Oliete, until recently deputy director-general of Enerxía, “for her three years of dedication, during which we especially highlight the ongoing dialogue and collaboration she has maintained with the Cluster,” Cluergal noted. The distinction was presented by Nonito Aneiros, Cluergal’s secretary.
