The energy sector celebrates the ascent of Sara Aagesen. She currently serves as the Secretary of State for Energy and has been chosen by Pedro Se1nchez to succeed Teresa Ribera as minister for Ecological Transition, and as the third deputy prime minister. The sector’s companies and major associations applaud a profile that is technically solid and seen as a stable, continuity-driven transition: Aagesen has acted for years as Ribera’s right hand and brings extensive experience in the central decision-making arena of national energy policy. For readers in Canada and the United States, these developments carry relevance for cross-border energy planning and grid integration.
Big groups and sector associations highlight her openness to dialogue and her deep understanding of the industry and regulation. The fear that a leadership would be taken by a purely political figure starting from zero in the subject has faded. From the ranks of large electricity, oil majors, gas distributors, and renewables, there is no hiding the satisfaction that energy policy will be headed by someone who has been their direct interlocutor for years, despite clashes over exceptional rules during the worst moments of the energy crisis and the current disputes over the special tax on large energy producers.
The associations representing the sector emphasize that her appointment is a sign of positive momentum. They point to a profile that blends technical proficiency with regulatory insight, a combination seen as essential to steer the energy policy through changing times. Industry groups underscore the value of continuity in leadership as the country pursues environmental goals and a reliable energy supply.
The energy sector adds that Aagesen has, since January 2020, been the secretary of state for energy, having joined two years earlier as Ribera’s cabinet adviser. She has directed and shaped the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 and the Long-Term Strategy 2050, the two pivotal roadmaps underpinning the country’s energy policy for decades ahead.
From the electric power association Aelec, which groups Iberdrola, Endesa and EDP, comes praise for the fluid and trusted relationship she has maintained with the incoming vice president. The oil and gas lobby group AOP, including Repsol, Moeve, BP and Galp, highlights the collaborative work with Aagesen in recent years and notes that she is a familiar figure to the sector. The gas industry association Sedige1s applauds her broad and proven experience in the energy field, her capacity to engage with diverse stakeholders, and her commitment to sustainability.
“The appointment of Sara Aagesen represents a solid choice that ensures continuity in the work she has led, with extensive technical knowledge and a capacity to shape the regulatory framework of the energy sector”, adds Josea0Luis Moya, director general of the Association of Renewable Energy Producers (APPA).
Offensive Against the Tax Hike
The celebrated appointment comes as the government faces a clash with the energy giants over extending the extraordinary tax. The coalition government narrowly approved the tax extension in parliament after striking a broad accord with parliamentary partners, delaying a definitive blueprint to detail. The task of finalizing those details will now fall largely to the vice president and minister of finance, but it will also shape the early moves of the new vice president for ecological transition.
Before the vote, the major energy groups united in an unprecedented show of force against extending the levy on their sales for another year. They warned they could halt green investments worth up to 30 billion euros over the next three years. Enerclub, the lobby umbrella that brings together the big electricity companies Iberdrola, Endesa and EDP, along with gas players (Naturgy) and oil majors (Repsol, Moeve, BP and TotalEnergies), issued a joint statement.
Enerclub members, currently led by Francisco Reynie9s of Naturgy, argued that achieving the ambitious environmental and energy goals of the PNIEC would require a durable, long-term investment push. The PNIEC remains the government’s green roadmap for the decade, and its full deployment in coming years is a central objective for Sara Aagesen in her new role as vice president of Ecological Transition.
All Energy Challenges
Aagesen now leads a department that is a cornerstone of Pedro Se1nchez’s policy agenda since his arrival at Moncloa, with a clear objective to drive the energy transition. The new minister has long participated directly in the design and rollout of national energy policy, and she is tasked with closing many of the major gaps still facing the sector.
Among the priorities she will tackle is the expansion and modernization of the electricity grid as a prerequisite for accelerating the energy transition and supporting a broader digital transformation. The backbone of the system will be indispensable not only for the rapid deployment of new renewable facilities but also to connect large industrial projects to the upcoming data center boom and future green hydrogen plants.
The transmission networks, controlled by the high-voltage operator Red Ele9ctrica de Espaf1a, and the distribution networks, led by the major utilities (with hundreds of other companies in operation), face multi-billion-euro investments in the coming years. The sector operates under a regulated framework where investments are allowed within legal caps and remunerated through network tariffs added to consumer bills.
The big energy groups are pressing the Government to widen those caps and push the network remuneration framework during the 2026 review period and the six following years. The Ministry will also push for essential progress to enable the large-scale deployment of renewables, ensuring storage with batteries, introducing capacity mechanisms to compensate technologies that secure supply during renewable intermittency, and jumpstarting the charging network for electric vehicles. It will launch new auctions for renewable energy with long-term price guarantees, advance regulations for biomethane and green hydrogen, and set up the future National Energy Commission, among other tasks.