Emilio Palomares, director of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), and Santiago J. Castellà, president of the Port Authority of Tarragona, met on Thursday morning at ICIQ’s headquarters. It was their first institutional meeting since Castellà’s appointment as President of the Port in October 2024. The meeting aimed to establish synergies and explore avenues for collaboration around a common goal: to drive industrial decarbonisation and position Tarragona as a European benchmark in circularity and sustainability for energy-intensive industries.
Both institutions share the vision of building a greener, more competitive, and resilient economy. Tarragona offers a unique industrial ecosystem and a strategic opportunity to lead the energy transition, attract innovation projects, and develop new, cleaner, and more efficient production models.
“Scientific knowledge must be a driving force for industrial transformation. At ICIQ, we want to actively contribute to making Tarragona a leader in innovation and sustainability,” emphasized Emilio Palomares, Director of ICIQ.
“The Port of Tarragona must play an active role in the ecological transformation of industrial activity. Strategic partnerships like this one are key to advancing toward a sustainable economic model,” stated Santiago J. Castellà, President of the Port Authority of Tarragona.
One of the main topics discussed was the project involving mobile testing units for four decarbonisation technologies aimed at CO₂ capture and use, driven by ICIQ, Eurecat, and URV. The project’s objective is to co-develop solutions with the region’s energy-intensive industries for the pre-industrial development and scaling of technologies dedicated to capturing CO₂ from industrial processes and using it to synthesize high value-added products.
Also attending the meeting on behalf of ICIQ were Imma Escofet, Managing Director; Ezequiel Soldevila, Finance Manager; and Júlia Viladoms, Head of the Industrial Decarbonisation Unit. Representing the Port of Tarragona were Carles Segura, Head of Operations, and Carme Tarragó, Head of the Innovation and Blue Economy Department.
The meeting highlighted the commitment of both institutions to collaborate on transformative projects that will position Tarragona as a hub for innovation and a key player in the fight against climate change.
La entrada ICIQ and the Port of Tarragona join forces to position Tarragona as a hub for industrial decarbonisation se publicó primero en ICIQ.