Iberdrola Innovation Middle East develops solutions that drive cleaner, more sustainable energy by blending AI advancements with the energy transition.
Every breakthrough in sustainability begins with a simple question: “What could we do better?”
We sat down with Santiago Bañales, Managing Director of Iberdrola Innovation Middle East, fresh from his participation in the Corporate Innovation Summit on the opening day of Web Summit Qatar 2025, to discuss the future of energy and sustainability innovation.
Leading one of the region’s most pioneering centres for AI-based sustainable energy solutions, Bañales drives RDI efforts at the Doha-based centre, focusing on smart networks, storage and renewable energy integration, and digital customer solutions.
As part of Iberdrola – a global energy company recognised as a leader in renewable energy and networks, and one of the world’s largest electricity companies by market capitalisation – these innovations are shaping the energy landscape across the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific.
What are the biggest ways AI is reshaping the energy sector, and how is Iberdrola Innovation Middle East leading this shift?
Santiago Bañales [SB]: At Iberdrola Innovation Middle East, we focus on designing, developing, and deploying solutions that help make the world’s energy cleaner and more sustainable by working at the intersection of two key trends: the current AI revolution and the energy transition.
The impact of AI in the energy sector is twofold. First, the new generation of AI, Generative AI, requires a significantly larger amount of energy to train models, making it one of the key drivers of increasing energy demand going forward.
Second, AI-based products are a key enabler of the energy transition. Energy companies use data and advanced models to radically improve how energy assets—such as solar plants, wind turbines, and networks—are planned, operated, and maintained. AI solutions are also instrumental in continuously maintaining the balance between generation and demand, as well as empowering customers to play an active role in managing the energy system by providing flexibility. This is the focus of our work at Iberdrola Innovation Middle East.
A key aspect of our success is the unique blend of highly specialised talent. Our cross-disciplinary team of product designers, electrical power engineers, digital platform architects, software developers, and data scientists works shoulder to shoulder to develop out-of-the-box solutions, making a significant contribution to the global challenge of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
What are the major milestones that have shaped Iberdrola’s partnership with Qatar—from energy collaboration to innovation leadership?
SB: The relationship between Qatar and Iberdrola has deep roots. Our relationship started several decades ago with the sourcing of natural gas for our combined cycle power plants, reaching an early milestone with the design and construction of the Mesaieed power plant by our Engineering branch.
In March 2018, Iberdrola was officially inaugurated in the presence of our Chairman, Ignacio Galán, and Qatar Investment Authority leadership, marking our commitment to cutting-edge innovation in the region.
The latest milestone in this journey came in May 2022, when Iberdrola partnered with Invest Qatar during His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s state visit to Madrid. This agreement reinforced our focus on digital innovation and sustainability and positioning Qatar as a global player in these areas.
What are Iberdrola Innovation Middle East’s key priorities for 2025 in advancing innovation and sustainability?
SB: In 2025, our value proposition for energy companies is built on three key areas: radically enhancing the productivity of energy assets, developing new solutions that provide flexibility to the energy system, and designing the next generation of AI-based network planning tools.
A major priority this year is also leveraging AI to optimize the use of scarce resources, with particular emphasis on the energy-water-food nexus. These themes – centred on digital innovation for sustainability – have been at the forefront of my discussions with leading individuals, companies, startups, and institutions during the Corporate Innovation Summit, the Spanish Embassy-sponsored business meeting with startups, and Web Summit Qatar 2025.
It has been an intense week of exchanges and discussions that we hope will positively impact and shape the future of digital innovation and sustainability in Qatar, the Middle East, and beyond.
In what ways has your company impacted the local community in Qatar while focusing on innovation and sustainability?
SB: We believe meaningful change starts at home. Last year, our commitment to the energy transition and global sustainability goals extended to our community in several ways. We aspire for our most significant and lasting contribution to be our dedication to developing young talent and supporting the next generation of digital innovation leaders.
Every year, we hire young engineers—with most of our team recruited locally—offering our employees a fulfilling career at the intersection of digitalisation and sustainability. We have also provided industrial insights and support to students from local technical universities by hosting summer internships and sponsoring Master’s and PhD programmes in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. This commitment has allowed us to build a strong network of Qatari and global partners, leading to impactful R&D collaborations with universities in Qatar, Spain, and the UK, and a solid track record of high-quality, industry-sponsored scientific research.
Beyond our work with the education sector, we contribute to the community through volunteer work, sports programmes, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. For instance, on World Cleanup Day, we removed 100 kilograms of waste from local beaches with DEAP Qatar, demonstrating that sustainability starts with tangible, local actions that inspire broader environmental responsibility. We also promoted health, teamwork, and community spirit through our company football team, reinforcing the power of unity.
As strategic partners of the Doha Women Forum 2024, we hosted STEMinism: Celebrating Women in STEM, a panel highlighting the importance of diversity in driving innovation.
These efforts are more than just initiatives – they reflect our belief that sustainability is about technology, collaboration, and creating a future where everyone has a seat at the table.
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