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The leaders of Portugal, Spain and France pledged Friday in Lisbon to improve the energy interconnection of the two Iberian countries with the rest of Europe, in order to reduce the costs and promote the development of renewable energies. Pedro Sánchez and António Costa, as well as the French President, Emmanuel Macron, signed the financing of an underwater electrical connection between Spain and France across the Bay of Biscay, during this summit between Spanish and Portuguese heads of government.
They also talked about gas interconnections, an option that ecologists oppose, and which will be carefully studied by a group of experts
The European Commission will subsidize the interconnection of gas. Bay of Biscay to 30%, contributing 578 million euros, an unprecedented amount for an energy project
To this we could add the European Investment Bank (EIB) which, during the last decade has contributed 3,600 million euros to projects of this type in the three countries.
"This summit is a sign of the firm commitment of the three governments" and the European institutions with "energetic union", Pedro congratulated Sanchez
The long line The 370 km is expected to come into service by 2025 and double the electricity exchange capacity between France and Spain, bringing it to 5,000 MW.
The most important project launched since Spain and Portugal is fighting for the Iberian Peninsula to cease to be "an island in Europe" from an energy point of view, resulting in production costs detrimental to their economies.
Power of its renewable energies, Portugal has a surplus of electricity production, which could export beyond Spain if the interconnections are developed as planned by the European Commission.
The sustainability of our investment strategy in renewable energy goes through (…) exporting to other countries, "said António Costa, who also wants that Portugal sells electricity in Morocco.
The peninsula is still far from the goal of 10% interconnection to be reached with the rest of Europe by 2020.
"We have currently d & # 39; Huge interconnection difficulties, "said the European Commissioner for Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, pointing out that the connection of the peninsula with the rest of Europe across France is now less than 6%.
– Gas, a problem gamble –
Complementary to electricity, Madrid and Lisbon also want to better connect to the European gas market, building a new gas pipeline with France across Catalonia.
The project, nicknamed Midcat, confronts the extreme caution of Paris and the hostility of ecologists
The development of gas interconnections will be examined by a group of experts from the three countries and the Commission, although, from now on, Macron stressed that the eventual construction Costa and himself insisted that this energy should be treated as a transition between coal-fired power plants, which must continue to close because They are highly polluting, and renewables, calls to dominate the future European map of energy
Currently, Spain and Portugal import gas from Algeria via a gas pipeline commissioned in 2011.
The two countries also have a total of seven terminals for the regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which they import by sea from Qatar and more and more to pa from the United States.
Their goal is to be able to resell this gas massively to the rest of the continent, arguing that this would help reduce dependence on Russian gas, a strategic priority.
The development of gas interconnections will be examined by a group of experts from the three countries and the Commission. Macron insisted that the final construction of the Midcat should have an "economic sense".
Costa and he insisted that this energy should cope with the transition between coal plants, which have to continue to close because they are highly polluting and renewable, called to dominate the future European energy map
Currently, Spain and Portugal import gas from Algeria, through a gas pipeline that went into service in 2011. [19659005] Both countries also a total of seven regasification terminals of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which they import by sea from Qatar and more and more from the United States
Its objective is to be able to resell this gas massively to the rest of the continent, arguing that this would contribute to reducing the dependence on Russian gas, a priority strategic objective.
AFP
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