The Spanish Government does not contemplate “introducing rationing or restrictions on any type of consumer”

Euskaraz irakurri: Espainiako Gobernuak ez du “kontsumitzaileei errazionamendu edo murrizketarik ezartzea” aztertzen

The Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Theresa Riverahas opted for “savings and efficiency” in the gas consumption and has assured that the Spanish Government does not consider “the hypothesis of introducing rationing or restrictions to any type of consumer”.

Ribera has made these statements in the Port of Bilbaowhere he attended the launching of the floating offshore wind turbine DemoSATH, and where he referred, to questions from the media, to the brussels plan to reduce gas consumption by 15%.

After pointing out that they will have to see “what the Commission’s specific proposal is”, the minister stressed that “there is a very powerful call for solidarity” and that “Spain is a country committed to solidarity, but we have to see what is the best way to offer solidarity”.

He has considered that “it is probably more linked to the capacity” of regasification and storage of Spain to “support the Member States that depended on the gas that arrived by gas pipeline” and has affirmed that the Government of Spain “is committed” to consumers domestic and industrial.

Consumers ‘don’t deserve to see restrictions now’

“Spain is going to show solidarity with the rest of Europe, but our solidarity is much more useful if we can make use of our infrastructures to be able to provide gas to the rest of the Europeans, rather than at the expense of Spanish domestic and industrial consumers who have been paying for a long time ago a very high bill for being precisely a energy island“, he pointed out.

He has highlighted that the Spain’s regasification capacity “represents more than 30% of total European capacity” and that Spain is “the main port of entry for liquefied natural gas in Europe” and has assured that this has been reflected in the bills of consumers who “do not deserve the see restrictions now”.

The minister considered it necessary to “bet on savings and efficiency” and to “find out how some consumption can be replaced by others, to what extent it can be replaced”, but has stated that the Government does not consider “the hypothesis of introducing rationing nor restrictions to any type of consumer”.

Ribera has assured that “there is a general conviction” that “sooner or later” Russia is going to stop supplying Europe and that Europe itself “wants to do without Russia as the main supplier of gas, coal, oil and enriched uranium”.