Sacyr News Technology, Sustainability, and Health: The Impact of the Cognitive Hospital Project

Technology, Sustainability, and Health: The Impact of the Cognitive Hospital Project

This smart hospital initiative has been in development for a year. During this time, we've created an intelligent software platform to facilitate its digitalization.

29/07/2025

In early 2024, the Community of Madrid approved the Cognitive Hospital project, a comprehensive management platform for hospital infrastructure.
The project is based at the Hospital del Henares (Madrid) and is being developed by a consortium led by Sacyr, with participation from companies like Sener, Cuatro Digital, Aptica, Fracttal, and Open Ingenius. It is a three-year project with a €6.1 million budget, funded by the Community of Madrid through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

As a result of this project, the hospital will benefit from continuous connectivity, sensors measuring air quality with virus-capturing nanofibers, devices improving energy efficiency, virtual reality technologies simulating evacuations, geolocation of equipment, and modules measuring the hospital's overall environmental impact.

After a year of work, Sacyr has developed the core of the cognitive platform. This platform will connect all existing management software systems at the Hospital del Henares, alongside the innovative solutions, technologies, and sensors developed and implemented within the project.

The platform developed by Sacyr integrates all innovative elements of the Cognitive Hospital project by creating an intelligent software platform that facilitates the digitalization of the hospital. This improves the experience for both patients and staff while promoting the sustainability of the facility's operations.

This is creating a smart hospital capable of autonomously managing its operations more efficiently, using real-time data generated during the infrastructure's operation.

"The new software platform is already operational and already receiving data from systems currently in place at the Hospital del Henares, as well as from the new sensors, LiDAR systems, and other devices being installed," explains Alba Rocío Pérez, Innovation Manager with Sacyr's Strategy, Innovation and Sustainability Department.

During the project's first year, the partners conducted an in-depth study of the hospital's physical and digital structure, using the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) methodology to objectively assess the building's "intelligence" level. This helped identify potential improvements and address deficiencies more efficiently than current methods allow.

Furthermore, Sacyr has advanced the implementation of a space management system using LiDAR technology. Its primary function is to identify and prevent overcrowding or queuing in customer service areas. "We aim to enhance patient comfort and reduce waiting times through innovative data collection," Alba Rocío explains.

Through the creation of a point cloud with LiDAR technology, Sacyr has also successfully obtained a BIM (Building Information Modeling) model of the hospital building. Thanks to the technology developed within the Cognitive Platform and the BIM model, a digital twin of the Hospital del Henares has been created, providing updated information on the building, systems, and equipment.

Sacyr Engineering contributed to the project in its first year by streamlining the BIM model. This allows for more efficient work with the building model, both during the construction and maintenance phases.

The second year will focus on completing a comprehensive analysis of the hospital, including impacts related to the use and maintenance of its facilities (consumption, waste generation, and maintenance activities).

PTEC Award

The Cognitive Hospital project recently received the Spanish Construction Technology Platform (PTEC) Award for the Best R&D&I Project in the construction sector.

Sacyr News SIS, awarded the construction and concession of Novara Hospital in Italy

SIS, awarded the construction and concession of Novara Hospital in Italy

SIS, a consortium comprising Fininc and Sacyr, will develop and manage this infrastructure for 25 years, requiring a €525 million investment.
The complex will include a 711-bed hospital and a 24,000 sqm university building.
This marks Sacyr's third P3 project contract in 2025, strengthening its position in the strategic Italian market.

30/07/2025

SIS, a consortium comprising Fininc and Sacyr has been awarded the P3 project for the Novara Health and Science Complex (Città della Salute e della Scienza di Novara) in Italy, a multifunctional complex featuring a new hospital and a university campus.

Awarded by Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Maggiore della Carita di Novara, a public entity of the Piedmont Region, the project includes the design, financing, construction (over five years), followed by 25 years of maintenance.

The contract, which is scheduled to be formalized and signed in the coming months, entails an investment exceeding €525 million and a construction timeline of five years.

200,000 sqm of construction

The new hospital will replace the existing facility, located near the city's historic center and the university's medical school. The complex will be distributed across several buildings within a 325,000-sqm site that will also featuring green areas. It will include a hospital, university, laboratory, maternity and children's ward, a tech hub and energy plant, a university building, parking facilities, and a kindergarten.

The hospital will have 711 beds, including 70 intensive care beds, 34 sub-intensive care beds, and 90 day-hospital beds, as well as 86 technical beds, 14 short-term intensive observation beds, 34 operating rooms, and 100 outpatient consultation rooms.

The scope of the concession agreement includes the maintenance of buildings and facilities; the maintenance, operation, and management of water and sanitary facilities, as well as rainwater and wastewater disposal systems; and the upkeep of electrical installations and green spaces, among other operations.

Benchmark facility

This project will become a leading medical and scientific center in Northern Italy, strategically located to directly serve approximately 170,000 people and indirectly benefit over 500,000.

Key construction features of the project:

711 beds
34 operating rooms
117,000 sqm of hospital space
24,000 sqm university building
16,000 sqm laboratory building
14,000 sqm maternity and children's building
5,000 sqm central technology plant
Heliport
25,000 sqm of parking space

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Third P3 project award in 2025

The Novara Hospital award marks Sacyr's third P3 project contract in 2025, following the Rutas del Este expansion in Paraguay and the Antofagasta water reuse plant in Chile, aligning with the company's strategic objectives.

Italy is a priority market for Sacyr, where, through the SIS consortium, it holds concessions for the Turin City of Health, the Pedemontana-Veneta highway, the A-3 Naples-Pompeii-Salerno highway, the A-21 Turin-Piacenza highway, the A-5 Turin-Quincinetto highway, the A-5/A-4 connection, the A55 Turin-Pinerolo highway, the Turin Orbital Road System, and the Via del Mare A4 Jesolo connection.

Sacyr's portfolio of concession assets is valued at nearly €4 billion. The company's strategic ambition for 2033 is to become a global leader in the development of transport, social, and water infrastructure.

Sacyr News Sacyr increases operating cash flow by 7% to €615 million and raises asset valuation to €3,957 million

Sacyr increases operating cash flow by 7% to €615 million and raises asset valuation to €3,957 million

The valuation of P3 assets went up €406 million from December 2024.
To boost growth, Sacyr invested €208 million in equity during the first half of the year, doubling its investment compared to the same period in 2024. Total equity allocated to P3 projects is now close to €2 billion.

29/07/2025

Sacyr generated €615 million in operating cash flow in the first half of 2025, a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Cash flow is the key indicator that best reflects growth and value creation for a P3 developer like Sacyr, where 91% of EBITDA is derived from P3 assets. The majority of these assets either have no demand risk or benefit from risk mitigation mechanisms.

Revenue reached €2,237 million (+6%), with EBITDA at €647 million (-2%), net profit excluding divestments stood at €96 million (+85%).

Equity invested in P3 assets doubled in the first half of the year, reaching €208 million. Total equity invested now amounts to €1,993 million. Sacyr anticipates distributions exceeding €17 Bn, driven by a record six new contract awards in the last 12 months, as well as the increasing value of the group's asset portfolio over time.

Sacyr achieved a 95% EBITDA-to-cash conversion rate in the first half of the year, compared to 87% in the same period of 2024.

Sacyr met its target of maintaining a ratio of recourse net debt to EBITDA with recourse plus distributions below 1x. Recourse net debt stood at €297 million at the end of June. This figure will be significantly reduced with the funds from the sale of three assets in Colombia. This operation’s accounting impact placed net profit at €31 million, excluding variable amounts (earn-outs), valued at approximately $70 million, with a positive accounting and cash impact depending on the success of different claims currently in process.

Two new contract awards

In the first half of the year, Sacyr secured two new contracts: the Rutas del Este expansion in Paraguay and a water treatment and reuse and plant in Antofagasta, Chile.

In Paraguay, Sacyr Concesiones will enhance connectivity between the capital city, Asunción, and other cities in the interior. This project represents an investment of €163 million.

The Antofagasta water plant is the largest reuse project in Latin America, with a planned investment of $300 million from Sacyr Agua.

Furthermore, the contract for the Ruta del Itata P3 project in Chile was signed and operations began during this period. The investment is expected to be approximately €516 million. In early 2025, the company also commenced management of the Atacama Desert Airport (Chile), part of the Northern Airport Network.

Additionally, on July 1, Sacyr Concesiones began operating Ruta 68 (Chile), a project involving a €1,500 million investment and a maximum term of 30 years.

Growing asset valuation

Sacyr's portfolio of concession assets is projected to reach €3,957 million by year-end, an increase of €406 million compared to the most recent valuation (€3,551 million) conducted last December.

This increase in asset valuation demonstrates the robustness of the concession model and represents significant progress towards the Strategic Plan's objective of achieving a €5,100 million valuation by the end of 2027.

Cash dividend payment

In July, Sacyr distributed the first cash dividend (€4.5 gross cents per share) under the 24-27 Strategic Plan. According to this Plan, a minimum of €225 million in cash will be allocated to shareholder remuneration over the next three years.

In addition, in January, Sacyr paid a scrip dividend of one new share for every 40 old shares (€7.8 cents per right). 87% of shareholders elected to receive payment in Sacyr shares.

Performance by business area

Concessions.- Sacyr Concesiones recorded revenues of €818 million (-1%). While operating income decreased by 11%, construction revenues increased by 34% due to the progress of work on the Velindre Cancer Centre (United Kingdom) and the Buga-Buenaventura highway (Colombia). EBITDA amounted to €351 million (-18%), primarily due to the accounting impact of changes in financial assets.

Distributions from P3 projects totaled €101 million.

Engineering and Infrastructure.- This business line's strategy focuses on controlling and reducing risks in third-party projects. As a result, the proportion of the portfolio allocated to Sacyr Concesiones now stands at 70%, in line with the 2024-27 Strategic Plan.

The total backlog of the Engineering and Infrastructure division reached €10,811 million, a 2% increase compared to December 2024. The stable growth of the backlog covers 59 months of activity.

Key project awards during the semester include the Turin Health Complex in Italy (€332 million); the construction of the Alameda-Melipilla railway in Chile (€271 million); several real estate developments in Spain (€245 million); and the Northern Airport Network in Chile (€199 million), among others.

Revenue reached €1,446 million (+18%) and EBITDA reached €261 million (+34%). These increases are attributable to the contribution of the A-21 (Italy) and the progress of works in Spain, Chile and the United Kingdom.

The EBITDA margin for construction activity was 4.8%.

Water.- This business line experienced strong growth in the first half of the year, achieving a revenue of €139 million (+20%) and EBITDA of €32 million (+36%). Profitability, measured as EBITDA margin, increased by 280 basis points to 23.2%.

This double-digit growth is attributable to projects awarded in 2024, mainly in the Levante and Canary Islands regions, and the strong performance of international business in countries such as Australia.

The backlog grew by 54% and reached €7,408 million in the first half of the year. The award of the water reuse plant in Antofagasta (Chile) was a highlight of the period.

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