Mining in the late 50s Asturias There were 110 coal companies and more than 50,000 workers, a figure that will never happen again. Then the peak of the coal fire changed all aspects of life in the Principality (communication, urban planning, demography, health…) and then successive transformations were passed and they gradually remained on this path. Less competitive farms. Today only in San Nicolas Wednesday. For their part, the only thermal power plants in operation are the EDP plants in Aboño and Soto de Ribera.
Meanwhile, world coal consumption is at an all-time high: It reached 8.3 billion tons last year and is expected to exceed that figure in 2023. Countries are looking for alternative fuel to gas, whose prices skyrocketed after the war in Ukraine. And Asturias continues to play an important role in the black mineral, but in a different way than it has played since the 18th century, when industrial extraction began. Once a powerhouse for energy raw materials, the region has become a warehouse and transit point for international coal shipments, with maritime traffic increasing last year, especially after the European Union imposed an embargo on Russian exports as punishment for military occupation. . But gas re-shipments are also on the rise after the Al Musel regasification plant became operational last month.
Coal re-exports from Asturias increased by 500% in the first half of the year Compared to the same period in 2022, it increased from 72.1 million euros to 431.5 million euros. Products from countries such as South Africa, Vietnam, Japan, India and Indonesia especially recovered. Cargoes are stowed in the ports of Asturias and then loaded back onto ships sailing in all directions.
Asturias is by far the main exchanger of the coal trade. SpainIn the first half, the country monopolized 76.5 percent of its exports. (total of 564 million euros). Specifically, El Musel plays a key role: it has already recorded over five million tons of transit so far this year, this newspaper reported. This amount is close to what the port of Gijón had accumulated years ago when it supplied power to seven thermal power plants in Asturias, León and Palencia. Today, the vast majority of unloading and reshipments are handled by the industry’s undisputed giants, Glencore and the Vitol Group. Both became operational in El Musel last year.
In addition, the regasification plant managed by Enagás in the Gijón enclave (although its current function is storage) has also begun to assist in the re-export of gas at unprecedented levels across the country. Between January and June, reshipments from Spain increased almost 50% to approach 45,000 gigawatt hours, and everything points to the 2022 record breaking.
“We must distinguish between the energy needs caused by the war in Ukraine and the temporary aspects, such as the structural transformation that the Asturian and Spanish energy sector must carry out towards decarbonisation and the use of renewable energy,” says General Manager Carlos García. Asturian Energy Foundation (Faen). According to García, “the increase in the storage and re-export of coal in Asturias is a fairly temporary thing; it may tend to increase in the coming months or years, but it is still a short-term bet”. “Asturias could become an important energy ‘centre’, but not only for gas and coal, but also for green hydrogen or ammonia”.
Undoubtedly, there are ambitious green projects for the region. For example, a total of 125 startups aim to support the 263 million Euros Just Transition Fund. Both ArcelorMittal and EDP face decarbonisation in their production processes. But the investments are huge and the time horizon is not close. The International Energy Agency has just warned that green hydrogen on an industrial scale is still in its infancy and needs to consolidate its regulations. And large Spanish power companies consider the Government’s projections that 81% of electricity by 2030 will come from renewable energies as too optimistic.