The Spanish Minister of Energy, Ribera Rodríguez, assured, on Wednesday afternoon, that “nothing changes” in terms of electrical interconnections from the Iberian Peninsula to the European energy network, in relation to the agreements that have been signed since 2015 .
“The forecasts for the pending electrical interconnections have not been affected at all,” assured the Spanish minister, recalling that “a submarine interconnection under construction through the Bay of Biscay and two pending interconnections through the Pyrenees” are planned.
In Luxembourg, on the sidelines of an extraordinary Energy Council, the minister recalled that, with regard to energy connections to the European grid, the Iberian Peninsula always “depends on the good will of France”, having been at this level the only change, which is registered since 2015.
“For the first time we hear the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, insist on the need to strengthen and accelerate electrical interconnections [e] (…) in response, the governments of Spain and Portugal declared that they fully agree with this approach and that what we need is to have specific projects identified now, so that we do not lose the time horizon of being able to have a 15% interconnection electricity to 2030”, he said.
Ribera Rodríguez hopes that the pending electrical connections between Portugal and Spain can advance “as soon as possible”, within a specific “calendar” for their completion.
“There are three electrical interconnections not yet operational between Spain and Portugal that were agreed by the governments of Portugal, Spain and France in 2015”, he recalled, detailing that one of them is under construction and is expected to be completed as soon as possible. .
“There are two that have to present their calendar and be activated in the coming months and within the deadlines corresponding to their construction and execution,” he added.
The clarification comes after the PSD demanded the presence of António Costa in Parliament to explain the terms of the agreement reached at the political level between Portugal, Spain and France, for the interconnection of a renewable gas ‘oil pipeline’ between Barcelona and Marseille.
The initiative of the three countries generated doubts in Portugal about whether this project would mean abandoning the previous plan of a crossing of the Pyrenees to bring Iberian energy to Europe. Speaking at the end of the extraordinary meeting in Luxembourg, the Minister of the Environment and Energy, Duarte Cordeiro, wanted to clarify.
“The PSD went so far as to say publicly that this agreement harmed Portugal and did not benefit Portugal, because apparently, compared to the 2015 agreement, two electrical interconnections in the Pyrenees would have fallen,” said the minister, assuring “that no there are electrical interconnections in the Pyrenees”.
“Then the question is: are we going to have more interconnections with this agreement than we had in 2015 or if we are going to have the same ones. And therefore, [as declarações da ministra espanhola] they are not proof that there are no changes with respect to the electrical interconnections that were planned for 2015”.
“The 2015 deal was a deal that was blocked, which was a handful of nothing, insofar as it was not insured or funded. And there was a blockade by France regarding the implementation, from the outset, of what the gas interconnection was,” he recalled, saying that “the three countries (…) unblocked the gas interconnection by finding a solution Barcelona- Marseille, as an alternative to the previous gas connection through the Pyrenees, the gas connection was unblocked”.
“It is mentioned that the countries maintain their intentions to expand electrical interconnections and, therefore, obviously, by this it means that there is a will to continue strengthening electrical interconnections,” he stressed.
Source: TSF
