Environmental services company Veolia inaugurated a new Hubgrade centre in Granollers on Friday, 15 May 2026. The facility specialises in urban resilience, aiming for efficient resource management and territorial planning to adapt to climate change.
Local authorities attended the opening, including Silvia Paneque, Minister for Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition for the Generalitat de Catalunya, and Alba Barnusell, Mayor of Granollers. Daniel Tugues, Veolia's director in Spain, also participated, alongside other institutional figures and representatives from the local social and business community.
Veolia stated in a press release that the centre seeks to establish the company as a "benchmark in water management in Catalonia, outside the metropolitan area, in a significant location." The company highlighted Granollers' "economic dynamism, industrial vocation, and commitment to sustainability" as factors making it a leading environment for intelligent water management.
Anticipating Risks and Defining Strategies
The Hubgrade will "anticipate scenarios and help with medium and long-term decision-making." It uses advanced data analysis, modelling, and predictive systems to identify risks before they occur. These risks include floods, droughts, network leaks, or operational anomalies, allowing for the definition of adaptation strategies to strengthen the region's resilience.
"In sectors like water, energy, or waste, it is no longer enough to operate well. It is necessary to be able to anticipate, optimise, and detect incidents more quickly," Tugues said during the inaugural visit.
Minister Paneque commented that "water management is one of the great strategic challenges for our country's future." She added that addressing this challenge requires "investment capacity, technological innovation, public planning, and a long-term perspective." Paneque also stressed the need for public-private collaboration to combine the strengths of both sectors, making them complementary and using them for the common good.
The new centre is expected to play a key role in developing strategies for climate change adaptation across Catalonia, with future initiatives likely to focus on integrating these predictive tools into regional planning.
