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Across Europe, coal regions face a big question: How do you move toward lower-carbon energy systems without leaving behind the industries, skills, and communities that shaped your identity? The challenge is not just about switching fuels. It is about keeping economic activity alive, opening new opportunities, and making the most of infrastructure that still matters. In Asturias, Spain, Grupo HUNOSA( HUNOSA) is tackling that challenge by transforming La Pereda power station from coal firing to biomass-based generation. At the heart of this effort is María Lorenzo Conto, Director of Energy and Business Development. She oversees power generation, renewable energy development, R & D, and the company’ s broader transformation strategy.
The La Pereda project is more than just a fuel switch. It signals a deeper shift within HUNOSA itself. Founded in 1967 as a state-owned coal mining company, the organization spent decades at the heart of the mining valleys of northern Spain, where coal extraction defined both industry and community life. For generations, the company’ s operations shaped jobs, local business, and everyday life across the region.
For María, this transition is not just a policy debate. She is helping reshape a business that has been woven into Asturias’ economy and identity for decades.“ The company has always been part of the valleys’ social life because most people either worked in the mines or ran businesses connected to them.”
Transforming the region
For HUNOSA, decarbonization is not a policy box to check. It is a regional transformation happening in communities where mining has shaped the economy and culture for generations. María’ s own story mirrors that change. She is an engineer who has worked in research, operations, and maintenance before stepping into her current leadership role. Those experiences now guide her decisions, connecting energy strategy to industrial growth and the region’ s priorities.
HUNOSA’ s journey toward renewables did not begin with biomass. Over the years, teams explored how former mining assets could support new technologies. The company launched geothermal district heating using water from old mines and looked at hydrogen opportunities tied to those resources. Still, biomass rose to the top as the option that fit the company’ s broader goals.
... biomass offered more tha energy as it sparks activity acro entire industrial value chain
As coal generation faded, HUNOSA set out to find resources that could support both energy production and local jobs.“ We had to build on what we already had, and biomass offered more than just energy. It sparks activity across the entire industrial value chain.”
A bigger opportunity soon emerged: a renewable energy project that taps into local resources and supports businesses across the supply chain. Asturias has forestry resources, land, logistics know-how, industrial expertise, and a workforce that understands energy infrastructure. Biomass pulls all those strengths together for a new kind of energy model.
Momentum built as European climate policy and Spain’ s National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan sped up the move away from fossil fuels. HUNOSA’ s next challenge: Could La Pereda run entirely on biomass
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