Seville, 19 December 2008. José Antonio Hernández-Rodicio, director of El Correo de Andalucía, today presented José Domínguez Abascal, Abengoa’s Technical Secretary, with the “Premio de la Provincia” in the sustainability category in recognition of Abengoa’s commitment to renewable energy in the province of Seville, following the announcement of the construction of Helioenergy 1 and 2, two new solar plants in Écija. The second edition of the “Premios de la Provincia” presented by El Correo de Andalucía took place in Seville’s Exhibition and Congress Centre in front of representatives from important public and private institutions from Seville that have made every effort to position Seville at the forefront, as highlighted by the newspaper.

After receiving the award, José Domínguez Abascal, Abengoa’s Technical Secretary, said “it is a great honour for me to receive this award on behalf of Abengoa, which recognises the work carried out by a great team of professionals as well as highlighting the commitment of El Correo de Andalucía to report on the initiatives that both public and private entities make every day to put Seville at the forefront”.

The second edition of the “Premios de la Provincia”, which were created in 2007, has seen the addition of two new categories (innovation and tourism), and the event forms part of the 7th Provincial Fair entitled “Seville is its people”.

The other awards were presented to Merkamueble (company category), the transport consortium for the metropolitan area (efficient administration category), the THAO program (social work), Antonio Rueda (craftsmanship), Camas town council (culture), Correo Postal (sports), Mantecados de Estepa (gastronomy), Complejo Ideal (innovation), and the Traditional Products Fair of El Pedroso (tourism).

With an installed capacity of 50 megawatts each, the Helioenergy 1 and 2 plants will use parabolic trough technology, a clean solution developed and prepared for large scale commercial installations. The two plants will produce enough energy to supply approximately 52,000 homes as well as contributing to reducing energy dependency. Furthermore, each plant will prevent the emission of 31,400 tonnes of CO ₂ per year, reflecting Abengoa’s commitment to sustainable development and the fight against climate change.

Abengoa is a technology company that applies innovative solutions to sustainable development in the infrastructures, environment and energy sectors. It is a public listed company with a market capitalisation of € 1,101.92 million (18/12/2008) and its five business groups are active in more than seventy countries: Solar, Bionergy, Environmental Services, Information Technologies, and Engineering and Industrial Construction.. (www.abengoa.com).