Since 1 December, all the electricity consumed by the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya has been renewable and publicly distributed. Barcelona Energia (BE), the public company distributing electricity to the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, has in this way become the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya’s supplier.

This undertaking to supply the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya’s electricity has been developed according to three criteria; social sustainability, thanks to the transparency and personalized treatment offered by BE; environmental, since the electricity that will be consumed from now on is green and local; and, finally, economic.

Housed in the Palau Nacional in Barcelona, occupying almost 50,000 m², energy has become a priority objective for the Museum in order to guarantee not just the comfort of the nearly 1,000,000 visitors who visit its galleries each year, but also the proper conservation of the works of art in them, which include the finest collection of Romanesque mural paintings in the world, and also an extraordinary collection of Modernista painting and decorative arts, among other treasures of Catalan and international art.

With this agreement, for one year initially, and which envisages the possibility of a 12-month extension, Barcelona Energia will be supplying 6.4 GWh per year to cover the museum’s energy needs. Based on this figure, the use of 100% sustainable renewable energy, derived from the agreement, will avoid the emission into the atmosphere of 1,280 tons of CO₂, the equivalent of driving more than 7,000,000 kilometres in a diesel car.

Xavier Balsa, Barcelona Energia’s head of marketing and communications, has stated, “It gives us great satisfaction that a cultural institution such as the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya has placed its trust in our service to supply 100% sustainable, renewable, locally produced energy. This agreement, implemented according to criteria of environmental and social sustainability, is one step further towards the energy transition model that we at Barcelona Energia uphold and promote.”

For his part, Xavier Abelló, Head of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya’s Department of Infrastructures and General Services, says that “this agreement is part of the museum’s determined commitment to energy management, which in the last ten years has enabled us to reduce our electricity and gas consumption by more than half. From now on we will be 100% renewable, with a firm commitment to locally produced energy.”

With this new agreement, Barcelona Energia continues with its commitment to offer 100% renewable energy and a service that is high quality, transparent and local. Barcelona Energia now distributes 100% renewable electricity to more than 4,700 public supply points and over 2,300 private and business users.