Madrid (EFE).- The Council of Ministers this Tuesday approved the Energy Emergency Plan, a strategy that the Government has been designing in recent months to reduce energy consumption for next winter, as requested by Brussels to all member states.
As sources from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge confirmed to EFE, the plan will finally be sanctioned today, during the weekly executive meeting, after its approval, scheduled for last week, was announced. been delayed so as not to coincide with the presentation of the General State Budgets (PGE) for 2023.
But this week wasn’t the only delay. Despite the fact that the plan has been practically ready for more than 15 days, the executive has decided to wait for the Extraordinary Council of Energy Ministers to be held on September 30, to learn about the measures jointly adopted by the Twenty- seven and integrate the final details of the national strategy.
Over the past month, the third vice-president, Teresa Ribera, has met with the main sectoral, social, political and civil society actors, to agree as much as possible on its content.
In this sense, Ribera met with the leaders of companies such as Enagás, Redeia, Naturgy, Iberdrola and Endesa, as well as associations from the energy, electro-intensive, trade and tourism sectors, and at twice with the various parliamentary groups.
He also had an individual meeting with the PP’s assistant secretary for the economy, Juan Bravo, after the rejection expressed in recent weeks by the main opposition party to the energy saving measures promoted by the government.
National and European measures
Among other aspects, the draft Spanish plan includes a technical revision of the regulations on outdoor lighting, although it does not establish any type of limit, only recommendations, to the use of Christmas lights by local administrations. .
In addition, it plans to introduce new explanatory information in the electricity bill, including the average consumption recorded in the same postal code, a novelty with which it aims to encourage savings compared to neighboring consumers.
Previously, the government in May approved a series of energy saving and energy efficiency measures for the General State Administration (AGE) and public sector entities in the state.
Subsequently, in August, he promoted the energy saving strategy, with measures that will be the basis of the emergency plan and among which are the regulation of thermostats in some buildings and the extinguishing of shop windows.
At the community level, the governments of the European Union have agreed on joint measures to reduce energy consumption and dependence on Russia, which include reducing electricity consumption , the establishment of a ceiling on revenues from renewable energies, nuclear and coal, and the establishment of a tax on oil companies .
The reduction in electricity consumption has been set at 10% compared to normal demand, with a mandatory percentage of 5% during peak hours, while the tax on oil and gas companies will be levied on 33% of profits exceptional, which are those that exceed 20% of the average recorded over the past four years.
As for the ceiling for inframarginal technologies, it is set at 180 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), although Member States are allowed to adapt this value – in Spain it is 67 euros.