Mikel Jauregi Visits ZIV’s New Digital Laboratories as Part of a €36 Million Investment Plan to Drive Future Grid Technologies from the Basque Country    

Minister Mikel Jauregi and Deputy Minister Irantzu Allende visited ZIV’s new digital laboratories, one of the flagship initiatives within the company’s investment plan aimed at strengthening its innovation capabilities.  

This investment plan is directly linked to the transformative “Grid4Industry” project of the Industry Plan – Euskadi 2030, which seeks to ensure that the next generation of digital power grids for industry is “Made in Euskadi.”  

The Basque Government’s Minister for Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, and the Deputy Minister for Energy Transition, Irantzu Allende, visited ZIV’s headquarters in Zamudio/Derio Campus of the Basque Country Technology Park, where they learned about the company’s €36 million investment plan to strengthen its R&D and industrialization capabilities. During their visit to the substation laboratory, they attended a real-time simulation of power grid operation, a key test for understanding the role of protection systems in maintaining grid stability and ensuring a reliable electricity supply.  

ZIV’s investment plan is closely aligned with the “Grid4Industry” Transformative Project under the Industry Plan – Euskadi 2030, which aims to make the next generation of digital power grids for industry “Made in Euskadi.” The project will strengthen the Basque industrial value chain in the power grid sector, an industry in which ZIV is a leading example. The sector generates €30 billion in global revenue and provides direct employment for more than 6,000 people. 

Electrification and new regulations are driving the transformation of the power system and increasing demand for solutions that are more digital, automated, and secure. For more than 30 years, ZIV has been developing digital equipment and systems for protection, automation, communications, and metering in high, medium and low voltage power grids. Its solutions enable utilities to integrate renewable energy sources, modernize infrastructure, and improve grid management.  

“We are living through a period of profound transformation in the power system, in which ZIV plays a key role by designing and supplying the solutions and equipment needed to ensure grid stability, security, and flexibility. This investment will allow us to accelerate innovation and strengthen our position as a leading technology partner for utilities”, said Borja Negro, CEO of ZIV.  

For his part, Mikel Jauregi highlighted that “Industry is decarbonizing through electrification, and this requires new technological developments in power grids. The Basque Country has technological and industrial capabilities to lead the next generation of digital power grids. ZIV is an excellent example, and this investment moves in that direction: helping to electrify industry worldwide. This is what it means to combine more industry, better industry, and lower emissions”.  

With more than 500 professionals, including 110 dedicated to R&D, ZIV develops projects in 80 countries through an international network with industrial and technological operations across Europe, the Middle East, India, and Latin America. The ambitious investment plan launched by ZIV will reinforce its ability to continue growing internationally while maintaining its roots in the Basque Country.