the ministerial council confirmed a energy contingency plan this tuesday, a strategy developed by the government in recent months to curb energy use for the upcoming winter, aligned with the request from brussels for all member states.
the plan will proceed to the weekly executive board meeting, with sources from the ministry of ecological transition and demographic challenge confirming the developments to efe. approval was deferred, having been scheduled for the previous tuesday to avoid overlapping with the presentation of the 2023 general government budgets.
although the plan had been practiced for several weeks, the government initially chose to delay formal approval until the extraordinary energy ministers council set for 30 september, aiming to finalize measures in agreement with the twenty-seven and incorporating national details into the strategy.
the original intention was to unveil the plan throughout september, after a busy schedule of meetings led by the third vice president, ribera, who engaged key sectoral, social, political, and civil society actors.
in this context, ribera held discussions with senior executives from energy companies such as enagás, redeia, naturgy, iberdrola, and endesa, along with associations from the energy, electro-intensive, trade, and tourism sectors, and participated in multiple rounds with various parliamentarians.
she also had an individual meeting with juan bravo, the deputy economy minister from the popular party, following the opposition’s recent rejection of government-promoted energy-saving measures.
national and european measures
the spanish plan outlines several lines of action, including a technical review of outdoor lighting regulations. while no binding restrictions are imposed, the plan offers recommendations for local governments regarding the use of christmas lights.
additionally, the plan involves presenting new explanatory information on electricity bills. notably, it will show average consumption for the same postal code, a feature designed to encourage savings by enabling residents to compare their use with nearby consumers.
earlier, the government had already approved a set of energy-saving and efficiency measures for the general state administration and public sector organizations in may.
in august, the government backed its energy-saving strategy with steps that would form the core of the contingency plan, including thermostat regulation in certain buildings and keeping shop windows closed.
at the european level, the member states united to reduce energy consumption and lessen reliance on russian energy, actions that included reducing electricity use, capping revenues from renewable energy sources, nuclear, and coal, while imposing taxes on oil companies.
the overall target for reducing electricity use was set at 10 percent relative to normal demand and 5 percent during peak hours. the extraordinary profits tax on oil and gas companies was set at 33 percent, exceeding 20 percent of the average recorded over the last four years.
as for the cap on marginal technologies, the limit is stated at 180 euros per megawatt hour, while in spain the cap stands at 67 euros, with member states allowed to adjust this value as needed.