He affirms that the energy reform has to make prices competitive for all, promote renewables and reinforce the supply
MADRID, 21 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen, has assured that 2022 was a year of energy “solidarity” with Europe, especially with Ukraine, but also with “our European colleagues”, such as with France, to which record energy was exported due to the reduction in generation from its nuclear parks, and with Portugal, where in summer “we generated more than 35% of the generation it needed”.
Within the framework of the “energy balance for the year 2022 and prospects for 2023”, organized by the Spanish Energy Club (Enerclub), the Secretary of State has highlighted that “our electrical system has proven to be cheaper than the rest”, with an Iberian mechanism that has saved “more than 5,000 million euros” to families and industries.
In this sense, Aagesen has stressed the need to advance in the Industrial Plan of the green pact, in which for the first time we “talk” about a comprehensive energy and industrial policy that must “go hand in hand” to strengthen competitiveness and “our energy autonomy”.
In addition, the Secretary of State for Energy has highlighted five key points for 2022: energy security, energy savings and efficiency, an extraordinarily dry year, Spanish solidarity in the energy crisis and the consolidation of the energy transition.
“It has been a record as the driest and warmest year since we have records. Three consecutive heat waves that have had a direct impact on the energy mix,” said Aagesen, “in this case, with the great decrease in hydraulic In our country”.
Thus, Aagesen has emphasized the report of this Monday of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC), which shows, in his opinion, that “the next few years are essential to change the meaning of life” because, according to the data of the IPCC, “we are not aligned with the reduction of emissions and the window of opportunity” is small.
From the European point of view, the Secretary of Energy has confirmed that the continent has shown “to be united” on the path of decarbonization and energy transition, managing to reduce dependence on Russian gas. “Europe is not willing to pay any price”, she has assured her.
Regarding the reserves, Aagesen considers that the photo is having managed to keep the storage full, after having overcome this winter, and that Europe is currently at 46%, while Spain currently has 40 days of gas consumption available. Therefore, for the Secretary of State for Energy, both Europe and Spain “we are very well supplied”.
Among the perspectives for this year, Sara Aagesen has considered that the update of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) will be “essential”, because it has to take into account many things that have happened in a short space of time and that ” must” be with the increase in European ambition, an ambition that “is under negotiation” and that may culminate during the Spanish Presidency of the European Union in July.
In this sense, Aagesen has assured that soon they will speak with the associations of the sector to find out their vision on the objectives for the year 2030 and the role of each one so that the PNIEC is an opportunity for the country.
For this reason, Aagesen sees the new negotiations during the Spanish Presidency as essential for this year, such as the new Net Zero Industry Law, which aims to achieve technological autonomy for 40% of value chains, or the new Law of Critical Raw Materials, so that 10% of the materials are extracted in Europe, 40% are processed on the continent and 15% are recycled, bringing the product closer to the supply chain and favoring the circular economy.
Lastly, he stressed the importance of reforming the electricity system, which for Aagesen is a “critical and fundamental aspect”. Aagesen has ensured that the reform has to make “competitive prices for all, encourage investment in renewable technologies and strengthen the supply to bet on storage.”
