Tradition and Transition: the Club Natació Barcelona’s path toward energy transition

For over 118 years, Club Natació Barcelona has been a sporting and social benchmark in the city, closely linked to the origins of aquatic sports in Spain. Our legacy, however, presented us with a very current challenge: how to transform historic facilities—highly dependent on fossil fuels—to meet new environmental standards without losing economic stability or sporting competitiveness?

As our General Director, Xosé Carlos Fernández, explains:

“Our sport depends on water, heat, and electricity; without them, the Club simply wouldn’t exist. The question was how to stay true to our environmental values, comply with regulations, and remain financially sustainable.”

Committed to the energy transition

With this goal in mind, Club Natació Barcelona decided to take a firm step toward decarbonizing our facilities. To make it possible, we partnered with Grupo Construcía, specialists in sustainable construction, who designed and built an innovative hybrid solar field, while also refurbishing over 20,000 m² of our facilities.

As highlighted by Arturo Fernández Vidal, President and Founder of Grupo Construcía:

“We chose hybrid solar panels because they combine two technologies. They generate electricity through photovoltaic energy and, at the same time, capture thermal energy to heat the outdoor pools. This makes it the largest private hybrid solar field in Europe, covering 90% of the thermal needs of the water polo pools and approximately 50% of the Club’s total energy demand.”

This project positions us as a leader in sustainable sports and allows us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint.

Financing tailored to our needs

To bring such an innovative installation to life, it was essential to have a flexible, customized financial model. Together with Grupo Construcía, we found in DLL the ideal financial partner to accompany us through this process.

“DLL was generous, prudent, and provided us with a financial solution that reduced our sustainability costs and improved our results,” emphasizes our General Director.

For his part, Fernando Tirado, Country Commercial Manager ET at DLL Iberia, explains the approach taken:

“Once we understood the project’s needs, we identified leasing as the ideal structure. It eliminated the initial investment barriers for both the Club and Grupo Construcía, financing 100% of the project. This allowed the Club to maintain financial stability and preserve its traditional credit lines.”

The DLL team worked closely with us and with Construcía to design a financing model tailored to the Club. “It was crucial for DLL’s commercial and risk teams to fully understand the project,” adds Arturo Fernández Vidal. “Their collaboration was key to finding the right solution.”

A model for sustainable sport

Today, Club Natació Barcelona has a system of heated pools operating 365 days a year, powered largely by renewable energy. This is a pioneering innovation in our sector and a decisive step forward in our commitment to sustainability.

As Xosé Carlos Fernández summarizes:

“This project allows us to keep the pool heated all year round, comply with regulations, and take responsibility for our environmental and economic impact. From both a sporting and sustainability perspective, we now have one of the best aquatic facilities in Europe.”

For DLL, our collaboration fits perfectly within their global strategy. In the words of Fernando Tirado:

“Energy transition and sustainability are key pillars of DLL’s global strategy. Many projects like this one don’t get implemented because financing doesn’t adapt to their needs. Our goal is to change that.”

A legacy ready for the future

At Club Natació Barcelona, we see sustainability as a natural evolution of our legacy. The collaboration with Grupo Construcía and DLL demonstrates that it is possible to combine tradition and innovation, top-level sport and environmental responsibility.

Thanks to this project:

• We have significantly reduced our dependence on fossil fuels.

• We have improved the energy efficiency of our facilities.

• We have ensured the Club’s long-term financial viability.

• We have strengthened our role as a pioneering institution in sport and sustainability.

  
  

With over a century of history, we look to the future with more resilient, efficient, and environmentally friendly facilities—reaffirming our commitment to Barcelona, to aquatic sports, and to the generations to come.

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