The minister for energy transition, Juan Pedro Yllanes, told the Balearic parliament on Tuesday that there is no contingency plan for a major blackout in the Balearics, as it is "highly improbable" that there would be one.
Yllanes said that the electricity system in the Balearics and indeed Spain is not highly connected to the rest of Europe. There are countries, such as Austria or Croatia, which are at serious risk of blackout. In the Balearics, "this is not the case". The islands' electricity system is "even more isolated" than that of the mainland.
"This means that a blackout on a European scale would hardly affect us," he stated, adding that the government continues to work on ensuring connections with the mainland and on improving the connections between the islands.
The minister reiterated that the government "is committed to energy sovereignty" through promoting the development of renewables. This will be "the most effective way of preventing any blackout due to dependence on fossil fuels from north Africa or eastern Europe".
For the opposition, Sergio Rodríguez of Vox observed that Spain has energy dependence on the supply of gas from Algeria, where the gas pipeline has been cut. He insisted that no head of any of the large electricity companies has said that a blackout is not possible; merely that it is "unlikely". He demanded that "some adviser" to the government should prepare a contingency plan, "even if it is to be kept it in a drawer and only used when it has to be".
Yllanes pointed out that the gas pipeline that goes directly to Almeria from Algeria continues to function. "Everything about a blackout is turning into huge fake news." Even so, he offered a guarantee that the government has a civil protection plan so that "in the very, very improbable event that a blackout were to occur, the government would act with the necessary measures".
No comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Currently there are no comments.