Smartenergy and ABB have entered into a strategic collaboration aimed at advancing renewable and hydrogen developments across Southern Europe. By combining Smartenergy’s project development capabilities, financing expertise and early-stage pipeline with ABB’s global strengths in electrification, automation and digital technologies, the partnership seeks to build a robust framework for integrated energy infrastructure. The initiative is designed to accelerate project deployment while reducing development risk and improving scalability. At its core, the collaboration aims to support the rollout of resilient renewable energy platforms capable of meeting the region’s evolving energy demands.
Under the arrangement, Smartenergy and ABB will coordinate closely from the earliest phases of project development. This early collaboration allows technical design, financing structures and implementation strategies to be aligned from the outset. Such coordination is intended to lower execution risks, improve project bankability and shorten the path to market deployment. The companies also aim to establish a replicable model for intelligent and sustainable infrastructure that can be applied to multiple projects and expanded across different regions. Through this model, the partners hope to advance scalable systems that reinforce the concept of resilient renewable energy across complex energy networks.
The partnership is structured to respond to the growing shift toward multi-technology renewable ecosystems. By working together from the planning stage, the companies intend to enhance efficiency, resilience and asset performance. The approach includes the use of digital twin simulations, comprehensive asset digitalization and the careful selection of equipment and systems. In addition, AI-driven intelligence will be applied to both project planning and operational phases. These technologies are expected to strengthen project design and enable the creation of resilient renewable energy infrastructure capable of adapting to future technological and market developments.
The collaboration will initially focus on a joint pipeline of solar, renewable-to-hydrogen and eSAF projects located in Spain and Portugal. Over time, the companies intend to broaden the initiative into larger multi-technology energy platforms that incorporate solutions supporting grid stability and new sources of electricity demand from emerging industrial and digital applications. The first eSAF and renewable-to-hydrogen projects alone carry a combined budget of EUR 4-5 billion, with ABB technology playing a major enabling role. By integrating financial expertise with advanced technology capabilities, the two companies aim to establish a benchmark for resilient renewable energy development and intelligent energy infrastructure throughout Southern Europe.
