Abengoa
Abengoa is a Spanish technology and engineering company historically providing concentrated solar power, cellulosic ethanol, thermal energy storage, and water solutions to energy and biofuel producers. The company is currently in liquidation with operating subsidiaries in insolvency proceedings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1941
- HeadquartersSevilla, Spain
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Abengoa does
Abengoa S.A. was a Spanish technology and engineering company that historically provided solutions for the energy and environment sectors, organized around concentrated solar power (CSP), second-generation biofuel production, thermal energy storage, and water desalination. Its core technology was industrial-scale renewable energy infrastructure, including a commercial cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Hugoton, Kansas with 25 million gallons per year of production capacity and the ability to generate surplus power from waste biomass. The company historically operated as an EPC and technology licensor serving utilities, energy producers, and biofuel producers, with go-to-market through large capital project execution and long-term concessions rather than SaaS-style recurring revenue.
The company was founded in 1941, headquartered in Seville, Spain, and at its peak employed over 10,000 people across operations in Europe, North America, and Latin America. It was publicly listed on the Barcelona Stock Exchange under ticker ABG and built a presence in adjacent verticals through acquisitions such as Dedini Agro in 2007 to expand its bioenergy segment. However, the company suffered prolonged financial distress, undergoing restructurings in 2017 and 2018-2019, delisting from the Barcelona Stock Exchange in September 2022, and ultimately entering liquidation. As of the source data, Abengoa S.A. is in liquidation and its primary operating subsidiaries (Abenewco 1, 2, and 2 bis) are in formal insolvency proceedings under Spanish law, with the corporate website maintained only for shareholder and investor communications.
Abengoa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Abengoa
- Legal name
- Abengoa S.A.
- Website
- https://abengoa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1941
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Abengoa is a Spanish technology and engineering company historically providing concentrated solar power, cellulosic ethanol, thermal energy storage, and water solutions to energy and biofuel producers. The company is currently in liquidation with operating subsidiaries in insolvency proceedings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Abengoa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Renewable Energy and Biofuel Technology
- NAICS
- Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing (325193), Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)
- SIC
- Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Water Supply (4941)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biofuel Plant EPC, O&M & Process Technology Providers (EUAAAHAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Desalination Plant EPC, O&M & Performance Optimization (EUANAFAK), Forest Residues & Biomass Feedstock Management (Thinning, Slash, Collection) (IMAMAJAN)
Keywords
Where Abengoa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sevilla
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Abengoa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Marketing channels1 record
Abengoa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Abengoa historically operated as a technology solutions provider for sustainable development, delivering engineered infrastructure and proprietary processes in four main areas: cellulosic ethanol biorefineries (e.g., a 25-million-gallon-per-year plant in Hugoton, Kansas), concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, thermal energy storage via molten salt systems, and water desalination technologies. The company converted agricultural residues into cellulosic ethanol fuel while generating surplus renewable power from waste biomass.
Product overview
Abengoa historically operated as a technology solutions company for sustainable development, organizing its operations into distinct business segments including bioenergy/biofuels (biorefinery operations producing cellulosic ethanol), concentrated solar power (CSP), thermal energy storage (molten salt systems), and water desalination technologies. The company is currently in liquidation with subsidiary companies Abenewco 1, 2, and 2 bis in insolvency proceedings. The company previously maintained operations across energy, water, and bioenergy sectors, though no specific branded product names or current active offerings are identifiable from available sources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Biorefinery Operations (Cellulosic Ethanol Production) Abengoa's biorefinery operations convert agricultural residues into cellulosic ethanol fuel, producing 25 million gallons annually at the Hugoton, Kansas facility while generating surplus power from waste biomass. The operation is designed for sustainable fuel producers requiring commercial-scale advanced biofuel capacity.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol produced annually from one facility
Companies that use Abengoa
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Abengoa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Abengoa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Fulcrum BioEnergyminorFulcrum BioEnergy reached a deal concerning claims related to Abengoa's bankruptcy case under Chapter 11. The relationship involved Abengoa serving as an engineering contractor for Fulcrum's sustainable aviation fuel project near Reno, Nevada. The project ultimately failed due to various factors including poor engineering contractor selection.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Abengoa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Masdar: UAE-based clean energy investor with CSP project exposure (Shams, Noor). Comparable as a peer investing in and developing concentrated solar power assets in overlapping geographies.
- Novozymes (Novonesis): Enzyme and biotech supplier enabling cellulosic ethanol and advanced biofuel production. Comparable as an enabling technology peer for the same biofuel value chain in which Abengoa operated.
Direct peers
- SolarReserve: CSP developer with molten salt thermal storage — same technology stack as Abengoa's CSP and thermal storage offerings. Closely aligned with Abengoa's historical CSP flagship projects.
- Fulcrum BioEnergy: Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer using municipal solid waste — directly involved with Abengoa as EPC contractor for its Reno, Nevada facility. Closely comparable in advanced biofuel technology and feedstock conversion.
- POET: Largest ethanol producer in the United States and a major biofuel technology operator. Comparable as a peer in ethanol manufacturing scale, feedstock sourcing, and renewable fuel market positioning.
- Green Plains Inc. US ethanol producer focused on commodity and specialty alcohols from corn. Closely comparable to Abengoa's ethanol production business and adjacent in cellulosic and low-carbon biofuel initiatives.
- BrightSource Energy: US-based developer of concentrated solar power (CSP) tower technology. Directly comparable to Abengoa's CSP business and the only meaningful US-headquartered CSP peer with similar thermal storage technology focus.
Broad incumbents
- Acciona Energía: Spanish renewable energy developer and operator, including CSP projects. Comparable as a Spanish-headquartered renewable energy peer with overlapping technology and geographic footprint.
- SENER: Spanish engineering and technology group with deep CSP and renewable energy heritage. Comparable as a Spanish-headquartered EPC and technology peer serving the same concentrated solar power market.
- Cobra / VINCI Energies: Spanish EPC group (now part of VINCI) executing power and renewable energy infrastructure projects. Comparable as a peer in EPC execution for power generation and energy infrastructure projects.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Abengoa social profiles
Digital presenceAbengoa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Abengoa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Abengoa subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Abengoa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Abengoa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Abengoa
What does Abengoa do?
Abengoa historically operated as a technology solutions provider for sustainable development, delivering engineered infrastructure and proprietary processes in four main areas: cellulosic ethanol biorefineries (e.g., a 25-million-gallon-per-year plant in Hugoton, Kansas), concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, thermal energy storage via molten salt systems, and water desalination technologies. The company converted agricultural residues into cellulosic ethanol fuel while generating surplus renewable power from waste biomass.
Is Abengoa a public or private company?
Abengoa is a private company. It is classified as public and is currently closed.
When was Abengoa founded?
Abengoa was founded in 1941. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Abengoa based?
Abengoa is headquartered in Sevilla, Spain, in the Europe region.
Who are Abengoa's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Masdar and Novozymes (Novonesis). Direct peers are SolarReserve, Fulcrum BioEnergy, POET, Green Plains Inc. and BrightSource Energy. Broad incumbents are Acciona Energía, SENER and Cobra / VINCI Energies.
Does Abengoa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Abengoa.
What industry is Abengoa in?
Abengoa's product category is Renewable Energy and Biofuel Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAAAHAK, Biofuel Plant EPC, O&M & Process Technology Providers, with a secondary code of EUANAFAK, Desalination Plant EPC, O&M & Performance Optimization. Its NAICS code is 325193 and its SIC code is 4991.