Pablo Fernández Castro, president of Norvento Enerxía, receives the APD award for the best executive of the year.

• The founder and president of the most disruptive Galician technology group in the renewable energy sector, dedicated to the design and manufacture of products for energy generation and storage, as well as the development and operation of both large renewable energy plants and self-consumption, has been awarded by the association of executives in recognition of his role in the development and growth of Galicia.

• In the presence of the Regional Minister of Economy, Industry and Innovation, Mª Jesús Lorenzana, and in the presence of the APD board of directors and the jury responsible for the award, Pablo Fernández Castro received the award that highlights his more than 40 years of brilliant business career.

• The president of Norvento emphasised the need to continue increasing the introduction of renewables in Galicia, a community that imports fossil and polluting energy, and to invest in companies with a solid project and with roots in the land, in order to turn this need into an opportunity for economic development for our community.

Pablo Fernández Castro, president of Norvento Enerxía, has received today in Santiago de Compostela the Executive of the Year Award from the Northwest delegation of the Association for the Progress of Management (APD).

Founder and president since the 1980s of the most disruptive Galician technology group in the renewable energy sector, dedicated to the design and manufacture of products for the generation and storage of energy, as well as the development and operation of both large renewable energy plants and self-consumption, has been awarded by the association of executives in recognition of his role in the development and growth of Galicia.

At a ceremony held this afternoon at the Abanca Obra Social Centre in the Galician capital, the Regional Minister for Economy, Industry and Innovation of the Galician Regional Government, Mª Jesús Lorenzana, in the presence of the APD Noroeste board and the jury responsible for the award, presented the businessman from Lugo with the prize in recognition of his brilliant career and his visionary attitude in a sector which, in the 1980s and in the world, still generated a great deal of uncertainty.

During the award ceremony, the second consecutive one organised by APD to recognise a Galician executive, Mª Jesús Lorenzana defined Pablo Fernández Castro as “an exceptional Galician leader in the business world, who has made extraordinary achievements for Galicia”. She also highlighted “his talent, commitment and excellence, merits that he has earned throughout his career since he started in the sector in the 1980s”.

The APD board and the jury, represented by Francisco Botas, president of the association in the northwest area, pointed out that “Pablo Fernández Castro was able to see the potential of renewable energies at a time of uncertainty, and years later he managed to fulfil his great dream: to create a technological area within Norvento”.

For his part, Pablo Fernández Castro thanked APD for presenting the award and the various authorities and attendees for their presence, making special mention of the members of the Norvento Enerxía team, “with whom I feel I must share this award, as they have been accompanying me for years to make Norvento what it is today,” he said.

An opportunity out of a crisis

During the course of the event, Pablo Fernández Castro also held a one-to-one dialogue with Alfredo Ramos, general manager of R and MásMóvil Group in Galicia, in which he revealed the beginnings of Norvento Enerxía: “When I was young, I was greatly impacted by the consequences of the energy crisis in Europe in the 70s, which reaffirmed my desire to study engineering. When I finished my training, my commitment to focus on the renewable energy sector, where everything was still to be done, was firm and clear,” he said during his speech.

He also wanted to emphasise his passion for technology, which has led him to promote a technology division within Norvento, a personal commitment that represents the differential value of the company: “Because of my vocation and training as an engineer, I am passionate about technology. In the transition to a decarbonised economy there are great opportunities, and among them Norvento goes a step further. We are not only building and operating renewable energy facilities, but we are also developing renewable technology, such as medium-sized wind turbines and energy storage systems. With this position we are not only contributing to energy independence, but also to technological independence, and we are also creating technological and industrial activity in Galicia”.

In the same way, and during the conversation with the main executive of the telephone company, Pablo Fernández Castro wanted to make clear the need to continue increasing the penetration of renewable energies in Galicia, a community that, despite the widespread belief that it has a surplus of green energy production, continues to import more than 50% of energy, mostly of fossil origin: “In terms of energy, Galicia continues to be a polluting region and dependent on third countries. While it is true that we are comparatively well placed at national and European level, the truth is that more than half of the energy consumed in Galicia is fossil, polluting, contributes to aggravate the climate emergency and we have to import it from abroad. Therefore, renewable energies are, first and foremost, a necessity. We need much more renewable energy and, in Galicia, that renewable energy is wind energy. Undoubtedly, we have to be able to turn this need into an opportunity for Galicia’s economic development. And that will depend, to a large extent, on how we address some key aspects”.