Third Vice President and Minister of Ecological Transition, Sarah Agsen, announced on Thursday a €2,000 million package of aid for decarbonisation, competitiveness and strengthening of manufacturing capacities in the sector which her ministry will launch “before the end of the year”.
The multi-million dollar aid, announced in parallel with the debate in Congress on amending the PP to try to postpone the closure of nuclear plants, will start “in the coming weeks”, according to the Secretary of State for Energy, Joan Gruisard, and will be organized into four axes.
The first is to strengthen the value chain of the sector so that the “ecosystem remains” in Spain and will be given between 800 and 1,000 million. Of this number, between $300 and $350 million are for plants and production lines for photovoltaics, wind energy, electrolyzers, heat pumps, energy efficiency, biofuels, and converter technologies. Another $212 million will be allocated to strengthen and industrialize port infrastructure and offshore wind energy; And between 300 and 450 million for the hydrogen economy.
The second axis will aim to transfer solutions to the economic fabric. It expects to allocate between $300 and $350 million to repower and hybridize renewable energy plants, which will allow 971 wind turbines to be replaced with 139 new ones, with an 86% reduction in the number of machines; 100 million for hydraulic storage, in addition to the 840 million just announced through FEDER funds, which will allow for the financing of 2.4 GW; And between $150 and $200 million for innovative renewable energy sources, such as floating infrastructure, agrovoltaics, co-consumption (67 projects that will benefit 4,200 vulnerable consumers) and heat pumps, with 199 projects expected to be funded.
The third axis is dedicated to electric mobility, with between 200 and 250 million and two lines: one of the 200 million for the corridors of public charging points, with special attention paid to the less-served “shadow” areas; and a new call from Moves Fleets for last-mile delivery electrification, valued at $50 million.
The fourth part of the aid is allocated to innovative thermal solutions: between 40 and 75 million for heat and cold networks and the same amount for industrial uses, with the aim of continuing the electrification of new shared generations.
Aagesen stressed that decarbonisation and competitiveness are “two sides of the same coin” at a “key” moment when “we have to go faster” in the race to decarbonise “multilateralism”, and where “denial hits hard”. The Vice President appealed for “hope” and highlighted the contribution of renewable energy sources to the country’s industrialization, economic growth and lower bills for Spanish consumers.
The minister described the European Environment Council, which last week agreed to cut emissions by 90% by 2040 to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, as a “success”, a “historic” agreement that represents a “huge leap” for Europe.
The Vice President stressed that the climate summit being held these days in Brazil is a “special conference of the parties” because it marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, which witnessed “before and after” and allowed for a 12% reduction in emissions. He stressed that despite the complex scenario, more than 92% of the new energy installed last year in the world was renewable, and investment continues on an “upward trend” in 2025. And in the United States as well, where “90% of the new installed energy as of July was from wind and solar energy.”
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