Decarbonizing today while designing tomorrow: Javier Cavada shares his view on meeting energy demand with sustainable technologies
With more than 20 years of global experience and a mechanical engineering background, Javier Cavada currently serves as the President and CEO for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at Mitsubishi Power (Mitsubishi). As the demand for power continues to increase around the globe, we gain insight into how Javier is leading Mitsubishi’s efforts in the EMEA region with a goal to decarbonize existing infrastructure and explore advanced technologies that accelerate the energy transition.
“I’m a mechanical engineer by training and I started off my career as a technical manager for Bosch prior to entering the energy industry,” Javier begins. “I joined Wärtsilä as a production manager in 2002, and over the course of 16 years, I worked my way up to being the President of the Energy Solution division, where I oversaw 17,000 employees and an installed capacity of more than 67GW [as of 2018]. I then moved to London and became the President and CEO of Highview Power, an energy storage business, before joining Mitsubishi in my current role as the President and CEO for the EMEA region.
“I was interested in leadership from a young age, and I started to have leadership intentions and ambitions as a teenager. I loved organizing people and events, but early in my career I realized that I loved spreading my energy and giving people a sense of purpose and belonging. Over the course of my career, I’ve had some fantastic opportunities to learn, travel, and meet lots of new people, which have both diversified and strengthened my approach to leadership. I’ve experienced many different cultures, having grown up in Spain, then living in Germany for several years, spending five years working in China where efficiency is the priority, and now residing in the UK. Regardless of culture, I believe a good leader is someone who listens and respects their team but can still be fair and direct when needed.”
Turning to his current position, Javier continues: “There are several elements to my role, but my main priorities are to oversee the company’s installed base, as well as focusing on new equipment services and aftersales. Mitsubishi’s technologies and products are designed to last 20-to-40 years, so maintenance is key to ensuring long-term stability and reliability. As a 160-year-old business, we have a huge installed base across EMEA, with Europe historically boasting the largest base, but we’re currently experiencing the most demand in the Middle East.
“As a society we are constantly progressing, and there is an increasing need for power given the demand for AI, data centers, and critical materials. In terms of geography, there are two main demand hubs – the US and the Middle East – due to investments in AI and ongoing industrialization in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Some studies suggest that power consumption will double or even triple every ten years, and others estimate that demand is around five times the currently available capacity. Many people don’t realize the amount of energy required by AI, social media, and data centers, but ChatGPT uses around ten-to-12 times more energy than a Google search. Data center operators will be forced to find more efficient ways to protect data and cool servers in the coming years, but until they do, we need solutions that enable data centers to run just as effectively while consuming less power.”
With a vision to create an energy landscape for the next generation to enjoy, Mitsubishi is committed to a long-term sustainability strategy that comprises three pillars: decarbonize existing infrastructure, facilitate the hydrogen economy, and drive the energy transition through carbon solutions. “Firstly, decarbonizing existing infrastructure is not only about reducing or eliminating carbon, but also simultaneously ensuring energy is affordable for the masses,” Javier explains. “For instance, we know solar power is one of the cheapest ways to produce electricity, so we’re championing that as a way of producing sustainable and affordable power.
“The second pillar addresses the hydrogen economy to explore how we can change carbon-heavy molecules into low-carbon or no-carbon alternatives. Mitsubishi has been investing in hydrogen for more than 50 years across heavy industries, but we’re now involved with several technologies that enable the ecosystem of hydrogen solutions in less-carbon intensive applications. Lastly, we’re committed to finding carbon solutions that give value to the CO2 extracted from essential carbon intensive processes. We’ve developed a specific technology to capture, sequester, and compress CO2, and we’re working with our partners to find the most valuable uses such as the production of SAF.”
As Mitsubishi expects a 50 percent increase in sales of gas turbines adaptable to hydrogen, we ask Javier about his thoughts on the role hydrogen is playing in the energy sector. “The combustion process used in gas turbines is one of the most efficient, reliable, and dispatchable technologies ever developed, and we’re investing to further improve efficiency,” he says. “Hydrogen is clean, plentiful, versatile, and can be immediately integrated into existing power systems. As such, demand is phenomenal and our current backlog for turbines would take us well into 2027. We’ve developed a global supply chain for gas turbines over the last 25 years, and we’ve further optimized and localized this supply chain where possible to ensure we’re well positioned to rapidly deliver these orders.
“We must also futureproof existing infrastructure, and gas working with hydrogen provides a viable option in the medium term while we increase the volumes of renewable hydrogen available. We’ve already trialed the turbines with a blend of hydrogen and natural gas, and they are certified to use 30 percent hydrogen and 70 percent other molecules. We’re now in the process of testing and certifying the use of 50 percent hydrogen, as well as exploring smaller turbines capable of running on 100 percent hydrogen.”
However, Javier is quick to point out that more needs to be done to scale hydrogen. “To unleash the power of hydrogen, we need ambition matched with pragmatism,” he states. “This requires two things: a pragmatic approach that identifies where hydrogen can directly fit into energy systems; and a vision for its long-term potential to decarbonize a range of high emitting sectors. The cost and availability of hydrogen today is a challenge, but it’s not insurmountable. There are some clear parallels with the development of both solar and wind technologies, which 15-to-20 years ago faced steep barriers to entry.
“We have hydrogen innovation and technologies available, but we need the right regulatory frameworks and increased investment, which will only happen through greater incentives. Policy makers must establish the necessary policies and regulatory frameworks, creating the conditions for private capital to follow, for the hydrogen economy to flourish. We all have a part to play in creating the hydrogen economy, but governments hold the power to close the gap and create much-needed rules and incentives.”
As global demand continues to accelerate, combined with increased pressure for industries and businesses to decarbonize, it’s clear that the path forward will require not only technical innovation but coordinated, long-term commitment. Under Javier’s leadership, Mitsubishi is positioning itself at the center of transformation in the EMEA region, balancing the urgent need for reliable power with strategic deployment of cleaner technologies.
“To achieve the global energy transition, we need a combination of forward-thinking policies, investments, and regulations,” Javier summarizes as our conversation ends. “We are experiencing a complete structural shift in the power market because of how we use electricity, and our energy policy must shift too. We need clear, long-term signals in capacity markets that reward flexibility, as well as incentives for plants that can ramp quickly and run on low-carbon or hydrogen-ready fuels.”