• • Agri-food Industry
  • Capital Goods
  • Information Technology and Communications(ICT)
  • Renewable Energy

Information Technology and Communications(ICT)

The ICT sector has experienced strong growth in Asturias in recent years. Asturias is one of the EU regions with the greatest level of broadband and leads the national ranking for Internet access via cable network, exceeding the national average by 27 points.

The high degree of qualification among its professionals, excellent regional telecommunications infrastructures and the decided involvement of the regional government in developing this sector have been favorable to the creation of new companies and the establishment of multinationals such as Computer Sciences Corporation (United States) and Capgemini (France).

Asturias also has an ITC cluster and the Information and Telecommunications Technology Center, CITC in its Spanish acronym, which are helping to energize this sector. Additionally, the CITC houses the W3C Consortium (World Wide Web) headquarters for Spain and Latin America. This is the most important international Internet standardization organization.

Capital Goods

The industrial culture in Asturias has created a number of manufacturers of capital goods ranging from large companies specialized in turnkey projects to a nurtured group of small companies which are national and international leaders in the manufacture of capital goods for mining, construction, defense, transport or environmental related industry.

An excellent supply of support services such as subcontractors for foundry work, mechanization, tooling, boiler and metal structure manufacture, engineering, assembly and maintenance together with a wide range of advanced services companies.

The existence of qualified labor in technical specialties is without doubt a determining factor in attracting new industrial activities to the region.

Agri-food Industry

The agri-food industry is one of the sectors with the greatest weight in the Asturian economy: In 2007 it represented 11.7% of turnover for the manufacturing sector and 13.5% of employment. The dairy industries, with a solid position in the national and international market, are the main activity of this sector. In recent years, we have seen the creation of numerous companies whose common denominator is a commitment to high quality local and gourmet products.

The various research centers and organizations providing technological services to the sector, such as the Dairy Products Institute of Asturias, IPLA in its Spanish acronym; the Regional Agri-food Research and Development Service, SERIDA in its Spanish acronym; the Milk Technology Center; the Inter-professional Dairy Laboratory of Asturias, LILA in its Spanish acronym; and the Meat Industry Research Association Laboratory, contribute to providing services and supporting the activities of the regional agri-food industry.

Renewable Energy

Asturias is one of the regions with the greatest capacity for electrical energy generation in Spain. The energy sector contributed 4.5% of regional GVA (Gross Value Added) in 2008 and constitutes the second most important branch of the industrial sector, after iron and steel manufacturing. The production of existing power stations and hydroelectric power stations far exceeds regional electricity consumption (53% more in 2008), an excess which is exported to the national network.

Construction of a regasification plant at the port of Gijon and the combined cycle plants which are underway will also make Asturias a national leader in the generation of electrical energy from gas natural.

In this setting with its tradition of energy, numerous renewable energies projects have emerged, such as aero-generation, biofuels and biomass.