EN 
ENGIE Spain and Kao Corporation SAU have signed an agreement for the construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance for 15 years of a new thermal power generation plant from biomass from certified forest waste, ensuring the sustainable management of forests, in the plant of the chemical company located in Olesa de Montserrat, Barcelona. This new facility will allow a 95% reduction in the natural gas consumption of the factory, and thus the carbon footprint.
The new biomass plant will be used for self-consumption and as a thermal energy generation equipment whose primary source, forest biomass, is 100% renewable and neutral in CO2 emissions. This technology will replace a series of conventional boilers, whose primary energy source is natural gas.
To achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions, KAO is carrying out a number of mitigation projects as part of its roadmap. The new thermal power generation plant represents a breakthrough in achieving this commitment.
The future biomass plant will also generate a positive impact on the local environment by promoting sustainable forest management, including fire prevention and improving the condition of forests, contributing to local social and economic development and reducing external energy dependence, as it is a local fuel.
ENGIE will be responsible for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and financing of the project, materialized in a long-term contract, to supply energy from renewable sources to KAO Corporation SAU. ENGIE will supply 95% of the customer's steam demand through the deployment of a biomass boiler.
About KAO
Kao Corporation, is a Japanese company based in Tokyo leader in the markets of Cosmetics, Personal Hygiene, Household Products and Chemicals. Globally, the company generates 1,550billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs around 35,400 people worldwide and has a 136-year history of innovation. Our mission is to create a Kirei life for all people, contributing to the well-being of all people and the care of the planet.
To this end, Kao believes that sustainability is the only way forward. The determination to implement management driven by an ESG strategy is evidenced by the definition in 2019 of the objectives for 2030 in the areas such as decarbonisation, energy, waste, water and resource conservation.
About Kao Corporation SAU
At the end of the nineties, Kao Corporation began to establish its business outside the Asian region and chose Barcelona as the first European location, establishing Kao Corporation SAU, with headquarters and plant in Barberá, and production plants in Mollet del Vallès and Olesa de Montserrat. Kao Corporation SAU develops its activity in the business fields of surfactants, fragrances and aromas and printing materials.
In order to consolidate the growth of the company, Kao Corporation SAU has been implementing the necessary investments, exploring business opportunities and seeing prospects for success. Today, Kao engages more actively than ever in activities that generate a positive impact on the environment and society through strong governance, continuous commitment to innovation and the core value of integrity, as one of the pillars of our corporate philosophy.
The company currently has a workforce of around 450 people.
About ENGIE
ENGIE is a global reference in low-carbon energy and services. With its 96,000 employees, customers, partners and stakeholders, the Group is committed to accelerating the transition to a carbon-neutral world, through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally friendly solutions. Inspired by its purpose ("raison d'être"), ENGIE reconciles economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet, building on its core businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to deliver competitive solutions to its customers. Turnover in 2022: 93,900 million euros. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGI) and is represented in major financial (CAC 40, Euronext 100, FTSE Euro 100, MSCI Europe) and non-financial (DJSI World, Euronext Vigeo Eiris - Europe 120 / France 20, MSCI EMU ESG screening, MSCI EUROPE ESG Universal Select, Stoxx Europe 600 ESG-X) indices.
About ENGIE Spain
With a strong presence in Spain throughout the energy value chain and 1,800 employees in the country. ENGIE Spain is the sixth largest generator in the country with an installed capacity of about 3,600 MW, including 1,600 MW of renewable assets -wind, solar and mini-hydro-, cogeneration and heating and cooling networks, and flexible and low-carbon generation (combined cycles). Together with its customers, ENGIE develops and manages more than 250 MW of assets that make the energy transition a reality (heating and cooling networks, industrial plants for photovoltaic or solar thermal self-consumption, biomass boilers and cogeneration) In addition, the company also works in the commercialization of energy, and is a reference agent in the structuring and implementation of long-term renewable energy purchase agreements (PPA) and in the conception, Design, commissioning and operation of industrial solutions to help its customers consume less and better energy.
ENGIE's strategy is to accompany customers on their way to carbon neutrality by achieving more sustainable territories, more competitive infrastructures and more efficient industries, relying on two levers: acting on its own energy production, through the development of renewable energies and offering solutions that reduce costs, energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
