Engineering Innovation Drives Energy, Talent, Sustainability

Q: What are Sener Group’s main areas of expertise in Mexico today?

A: In Mexico, there is a great need for gas transportation infrastructure, gas compression, and power generation. Those are areas where we are experts. We came to this country specifically for the design and construction of combined cycle plants, and right now we are building three compression stations in the Yucatan Peninsula.

We play a strategic role in gas transportation and power generation infrastructure, which is key for Sener Group. We also have extensive experience in renewables, especially in the field of concentrated solar power. Recently there has been talk of solar thermal development in Mexico, and Sener Group is a worldwide key player in terms of number of installations, projects, and designs. So I hope we can play a significant role in this renewable energy development.

Additionally, a couple of years ago we acquired a company called Quark, which specializes in data center design and is one of the most important in Europe. It is now a net exporter of engineering design. The reason is that data centers have been steadily growing in their energy needs. What we are proposing now is a fully integrated concept: power generation tied to a data center, creating a complete project. Very few companies can do this, and we are already exploring prospective clients for developments where a power plant would be directly associated with a data center, with its own self-generation.

Q: How does Sener integrate its diverse areas of expertise across different sectors?

A: We are very open in that regard. For example, in the field of gas storage, a large LNG terminal includes extensive energy generation processes, but it also requires port infrastructure. It may need three jetties where ships must connect. Our infrastructure division and our port specialists handle the naval design, while we provide the onshore design. That way, we can once again deliver a complete global project.

It is similar to the data center example. In a solar tower plant, for instance, the heliostat movements use mechanisms originally developed for space, solar tracking mechanisms that satellites also rely on. We have deep experience in aerospace, with many satellites successfully launched, and those same mechanism technologies are applied in our energy projects.

How do we do this? We form joint task forces with people from different specialties and tackle complex problems as integrated teams.

Q: What types of projects has Sener Group been working on recently in Mexico?

A: Lately we have been handling many mainstream projects. We have carried out the development of compression stations, hydraulic studies for gas pipelines, and repowering of power plants with older turbines. We are also involved in the design of a motor plant and a combined cycle plant that is nearing completion.

We are working on many projects, but one area we are strongly developing is the digitalization of assets. We are investing heavily in new digitalization and sensorization, because we believe that what is not measured cannot be controlled. Our goal is for our plants to incorporate a very high degree of technology so that predictive maintenance can be applied, maintenance studies can be carried out using AI, and improvements in design can also be made with AI.

Q: How is Sener Group using AI in its engineering and energy projects?

A: We understand that AI has come to help us. It has come to make the use of engineering more comprehensive and rational. We apply AI to our design processes, but we also use it as a technological solution for clients.

For example, in photovoltaics we have a software tool that, using AI, analyzes the arrangement of solar panels. It evaluates whether land clearing is necessary, based on 25 years of projected energy generation. It determines whether it is more profitable to clear land or to leave the panels as they are. While clearing has a cost, AI can calculate the long-term profitability of investing upfront.

In another case, we have a software program called Respira. By combining AI with sensorization of buildings and infrastructure, we can achieve a much more efficient use of cooling and air conditioning systems, consuming much less energy while improving user comfort. The key is to deploy sensors and apply AI in real time.

Q: What is the main challenge Sener Group faces in the Mexican market?

A: The main challenge we face in Mexico is talent. There is a shortage of talent for certain projects. For example, in mobility, rail transport has not been developed in Mexico for many years, so there is very little engineering talent dedicated exclusively to the rail sector. Attracting and retaining that talent, whether within Mexico or internationally, is complicated.

On top of that, because the US market has such high potential, much of the Mexican talent that is trained ends up crossing the border to work in the neighboring country. For us, then, the biggest challenge is attracting talent and keeping a trained and motivated team.

How do we approach it? We try to give meaning to the work, so that it is not just about having a job, but about working on projects that inspire people. Engineering is, after all, quite a vocational field. Not everything is about money or career projection, many times it is about being passionate about complex projects. Engineers are often driven by their passion.

It is very different to work at a consultancy versus a company that designs a complex bridge across a difficult site. The same applies in energy, where combining aerospace tools with energy, infrastructure, and data centers can be motivating for people. So our main challenge in Mexico is attracting and inspiring that talent so they want to grow within the company.

Q: What kind of services does Sener Group provide across the energy project lifecycle?

A: We provide services from the very beginning to the very end of an energy project. We can start with a basic feasibility study or due diligence to determine whether a project is technically and financially viable, and we can go all the way to commissioning, operations, and maintenance.

Within the value chain, in recent years when there has been less development in power generation, we have been more involved in conceptual designs than in detailed engineering. But once projects become reality, we work much more on detailed engineering.

For us, being part of the conceptual design stage is very interesting, because that is where new ideas and technologies can truly be applied. We practice technical agnosticism: we are not tied to any equipment supplier. Our solutions are always based on the best available technology at any given time.

We also try to help clients understand that their needs are long-term, not short-term. A project will be better if time and thought are invested from the start. If we begin with the right foot, the project performs better, achieves higher efficiency, and lasts much longer.

Q: How has Sener Group grown in Mexico, and what role does it play in the company’s global operations?

A: In the past four years, we have doubled our workforce and started exporting Mexican engineering talent abroad on a large scale. The future of Sener Group in Mexico has two parts. First, Mexico is a country with everything it needs to grow and a high demand for infrastructure, mobility, energy, and data centers. It is an excellent environment. Second, with the creation of this motivated and multidisciplinary team, we can export engineering to Sener Group projects worldwide: in Africa, Asia, Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia. We are already working as a global firm.

Having a productive hub in Mexico, another in Australia, and another in Europe gives us the ability to serve clients 24 hours a day. Even if clients want a local point of contact in their own country, the fact that problems can be solved overnight thanks to global coverage is a great advantage. The challenge now is to make our engineering truly global and ensure that our product is homogeneous, whether it is developed in Mexico or in Spain.

Our competitive advantage is that we are considered a reliable engineering firm, known for quality. Engineering usually accounts for about 6% of the total investment cost, and cutting corners in engineering is not always a good idea. We work in that segment, and we do not aim to be the cheapest or the most mass-producing. We want to deliver a quality product, and that has earned us recognition as such.

Q: How does Sener Group integrate sustainability and ESG principles into its projects?

A: We have a very strong ESG component in the company, and everything we do is regulated by these standards. Beyond that, our commitment to renewable energy generation projects and to applying sustainability practices within those projects is always visible in our design principles. We always seek to minimize the carbon footprint in our projects.

We are developing hydrogen, floating wind, solar thermal, and multiple AI-based solutions for resource optimization. I like to say that the best, most renewable energy is the energy that is not consumed. That is why we strive to improve every process so that energy consumption is reduced and the global carbon footprint is minimized.

Sener Group is an engineering and technology company that develops projects across multiple markets with a focus on sustainability. The company positions itself as a long-term partner for clients and collaborators, emphasizing technical expertise and project execution.