Our daily life, from heating ourselves in winter to moving from one municipality to another, through all industrial production, requires the consumption of energy resources. We explain where they come from.
The Basque Autonomous Community is far from being energy self-sufficientthat is, to produce the energy that all our activities, whether productive, social or merely vital, will need.
In 2020 (the latest data we have), three quarters of the energy demanded by the CAV corresponds to oil derivatives and natural gas. Crude oil and its derivatives represent almost half of the total (44%) and natural gas, one third (33.9%).
Renewable energies represent only 11.7% of the demand, while the import of electrical energy accounts for 9.8%. A residual 0.3% corresponds to coal and its derivatives.
It is not uncommon for 44% of the energy demanded to correspond to oil and its derivatives. Not in vain, the transport sector demands the largest part of this energy and automotive gas oil represents 77.6% of the tons of oil derivatives consumed in the BAC.
These derivatives are refined at the Petronor plant in Muskiz (Bizkaia). The crude comes mostly from Mexico (more than 2,500,000 tons), Russia (nearly 1,800,000 tons) and the North Sea (more than 1,000,000 tons).
Source: Petronor, 2020.
Natural gas is demanded mainly by industry (43.5%) and thermoelectric plants (26.6%). Residential demand represents 11.5%. But where does it come from?
We receive it mainly on ships that arrive at the Bahía de Bizkaia Gas regasification plant, in the port of Bilbao. Some of the tanks are distributed from here to other points in the north of the peninsula and France, and the CAV also receives some quantity from Barcelona and Sagunto (Valencia).
The one in Zierbena (Bizkaia) is the plant in the Spanish State that has received the most downloads. And where does that gas come from? It mostly comes from Russiabut the list also includes U.S, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria Y Guinea.
And how are the renewable energy? Its weight is scarce, and in renewable electricity production hydroelectric, biomass and wind power have a similar weight, with photovoltaic energy in last place, although it has been the one that has increased the most.
As we have seen, the CAV depends a lot on the outside. The self-sufficiency rate in the Basque Country is around 10%, or what is the same, almost all the energy we need we get outside. This energy dependency is very high even compared to the environment of the European Union, where dependency also prevails.
Source: Eitb
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
