How to get more from less thanks to innovation

Thanks to the efforts of ACCIONA's professionals, 2012 saw the introduction of new working methods that have given rise to more sustainable processes, both in economic and environmental terms. These improvements led to 12.4 million euro's worth of savings, far exceeding the 2012 target set by ACCIONA's Sustainability Master Plan.

Process improvement is a source of competitive advantages: innovation, quality, improved performance, cost reductions… The most spectacular savings at ACCIONA came in the Legacy Way tunnel construction project and through a number of improvements made at biomass plants.

Legacy Way Tunnel

In 2012, this ACCIONA Infrastructure project in Australia was honored with the Brisbane Lord Mayor's Business Award for "delivering new and better solutions for operational activities", among other achievements. The improvements introduced by the works team translated into 4.8 million euro's worth of savings through the following measures:

• Installation of an underground conveyor belt for rubble removal; this measure avoided 96,000 truck journeys (also avoiding 190 metric tons of carbon emissions).
• Transport trains were replaced in the tunnel by two-cabin vehicles fitted with tires.
• Use of bicomponent mortar for filling in behind tunnel sections, with an accelerator that helped the mixture to gel in 10 seconds. This is the first project in the world to use this solution in a rock tunnel construction. It has achieved execution times of up to 50m/day.

Biomass plants

The improvements introduced by ACCIONA Energy at biomass plants have led to savings worth 2.7 million euro, as well as reducing environmental impacts:

• Sangüesa plant. Improvements in the logistics of biomass supply (more efficient use of raw materials, less wastage) and in the cleaning process (better performance, less down time).
• Briviesca plant. Installation of a tertiary treatment plant for the reuse of wastewater in the cooling process, leading to reduced water consumption.
• Miajadas plant. Improved combustion led to an increase in the biomass/MWh ratio per metric ton.