ICEYE, the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space, was selected by IBERDROLA to develop an innovation project aimed at strengthening its electricity grid against extreme natural events. Through a comprehensive multi-perils approach, the initiative will enable Iberdrola to anticipate risks, rapidly assess damage and minimize supply disruptions using near-real-time geospatial data.
The solution is the winner of a New-Tech Challenge organized by Iberdrola's international open innovation program, PERSEO, which attracted more than 40 proposals from ten countries. The solution will initially be rolled out through a 12-month pilot project in Spain. ICEYE was selected for its ability to deliver rapid, actionable insights under challenging conditions, moving beyond a single-hazard focus to provide a unified overview of grid resilience.
At the core of the deployment is ICEYE's operational Flood Solutions Suite, which will be available from day one. Flood Early Warning forecasts flood risk using predictive data so that Iberdrola's teams can prepare in advance of disasters, while Flood Rapid Impact and Flood Insights provide consistent updates for measuring flood extent and water depth at the asset level. Together, these capabilities equip Iberdrola with key data before, during, and after an event, enabling network managers to direct repair teams to the most impacted infrastructure first.
Recognizing the diverse risks affecting the Spanish electricity grid, the pilot also includes dedicated monitoring for severe windstorms (cyclogenesis) and wildfires. Because ICEYE's SAR technology can capture high-resolution imagery through thick smoke and severe storm clouds, the company will help Iberdrola track the impact of fires and assess structural wind damage immediately after a weather system passes.
Iberdrola's network consists of more than 1.4 million kilometres of transmission and distribution lines across various countries and serves millions of customers. Given its global presence, this partnership extends beyond Europe. ICEYE will deploy its Hurricane Rapid Impact (HRI) solution for Iberdrola's assets in the United States and Australia. This capability delivers heatmaps within 24 hours of a hurricane making landfall, allowing international network managers to rapidly triage affected regional assets.
Gonzalo García-Muñoz, SVP of Global Operations and CEO of ICEYE Spain, highlighted that "this collaboration enables the integration of satellite intelligence into network operations, the detection of risks at an earlier stage, and the acceleration of supply restoration in affected areas."
Andy Read, Vice President of Government Solutions at ICEYE, said, "Electric utilities need actionable intelligence in the first hours after an incident. ICEYE's SAR technology gives Iberdrola a reliable view of where flooding, wildfires, or storm damage is occurring and which assets are most affected. With near real-time data, we can help reduce outage times for customers and strengthen the resilience of Spain's energy network."
Óscar Villanueva, Director of the Western Region at i-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes, Iberdrola's distribution arm in Spain, noted that "resilience is a key priority for our electricity networks, and this collaboration enables us to incorporate advanced observation and analysis capabilities to anticipate extreme events, minimize their impact on customers, and strengthen the electricity system in the long term."
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