Balearics to challenge National Energy Plan

Balearic leader Francesc Antich yesterday accused the central government of putting party interests before the general interest of the Balearics by not approving the gas pipe link between the Peninsula and the archipelago. He also announced that his government would challenge the national energy plan as it infringes the law and is discriminatory towards the Balearics, the only community with an uncertain future in this field. “Energy has been planned for the whole of Spain except the Balearics,” Antich said yesterday. He went on to accuse deputy Prime Minister Rodrigo Rato of laughing at the Senate because he said that the plan could be negotiated when it was already in the hands of the Cabinet. He regretted the fact that the proposals of the Balearics had not been taken into consideration. Antich said that his government was not opposed to other options, such as an electricity cable, but urged the central government to approve the gas link right away. He also criticised Rato for not granting him an interview, saying it was easier to talk to a German minister. Antich affirmed that without the gas pipe the energy supplies of the island were in danger. “We need gas as soon as possible so that there will be no problems later.” Antich pointed out that his government had been working on an energy plan to solve the islands' problems for 16 months and the gas link was the best solution. He went on to say that it had come as “a bad surprise” to find that the national energy plan had included other proposals such as the electricity cable option which had not been mentioned until them. The gas link, he insisted, is the cheapest and best option for the islands.