The interconnection between France and the Iberian Peninsula: The Eternal Achilles heel of the Spanish Electric Red | Economy | EUROtoday

In the center of the power disaster aggravated by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Spain and Portugal managed to start out the so -called Iberian exception, a sort of prime at electrical costs, which served as insurance coverage within the worst of the inflationary escalation. It turned a energy, however the fact is that it began from a weak spot: the Iberian Peninsula is an power island distant from the aims {of electrical} interconnection with the remainder of the European market. It is seen with three knowledge, in 2020 the interconnection of the community with that of the remainder of the continent by means of France owed 10percentand a decade later to fifteen%, in response to the EU requirements themselves that begin from an settlement in a European council of 2014. Instead, it barely reaches 3%.

The reason for “energy zero” was not in that Achilles heel, in response to preliminary analyzes. He was a part of the answer, because the president of the Government has careworn, Pedro Sánchez, since with electrical contributions from France and Morocco the community was recovered. However, that standing might have extra contribution from the opposite facet of the Pyrenees if that interconnection ratio (import capability between era capability) would have been larger, as requested from Brussels, for instance, within the annual studies on the power market, during which it’s straightforward to learn how one yr after one other it’s famous that that objective just isn’t met.

The blackout barely reached France. But its influence moved to the general public debate, primarily by means of the overall worry of whether or not such a phenomenon might happen inside its borders. In France, specialists consider, it could be virtually inconceivable for a number of causes. The power combine, they assume, assist. But, primarily, as a result of its interconnection with the remainder of European nations could be very excessive and isn’t as remoted as Spain. It is the face of the foreign money of a scenario that, partially, is the accountability of the French power coverage, little fascinated by Spain exporting its power to the remainder of Europe, and the technical problem concerned in overcoming the Pyrenees.

The majority of continental European nations are a part of an enormous synchronized community, the second largest on the earth. France performs a job of “electric crossroads” in these European exchanges as a result of its strategic place “at the intersection of several peninsulas and electric islands (Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Great Britain)”, but additionally because of its “important production capabilities installed,” explains the 2024 electrical steadiness of RTE.

Jacques Perbois, economist and skilled in French power issues, factors a number of issues. But it emphasizes that “the Iberian Peninsula is also an electric peninsula.“ France, on the other hand, is connected with Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Spain. The power of interconnection with Germany and Belgium is 10,000 MW; 3,000 MW with Switzerland, 2,500 with Italy and about 3,000 MW with Spain. In total we have an interconnection of about 20,000 MW. That is the main difference between the two countries, ”he analyzes.

Those 3,000 MW of which the French skilled speaks are actually 2,800 MW, in response to the numbers of the Spanish authorities. There is a mission to unite the 2 nations for the third time: by means of the Vizcaya Gulf, which can add about 2,200 MW in 2028. It is not going to attain 10%. And there are two different deliberate connections that would increase the interconnection to eight,000 in 2035, in response to the collaboration framework that Madrid and Paris agreed in 2035.

But that that is going to be so within the case of the final two initiatives is to be seen, as a report of the French competitors regulator of virtually a yr in the past: “The different projects must be addressed after each other, giving priority to the completion of the Gulf de Gascuña project[FrenchnameoftheVizcayaGulfHighcostofthecongestionofontheFrenchnetworktheimportantneedtoreinforceupstreamnetworksandtheimportantissuesoflocalacceptability”[nombrefrancésdelgolfodeVizcayaEnestafaselosanálisiscoste-beneficiorealizadosnohandemostradoquelosbeneficiosproporcionadosporproyectosadicionalessuperenloscostesenparticulardebidoalelevadocostedelacongestióndeenlaredfrancesalaimportantenecesidaddereforzarlasredesaguasarribaylasimportantescuestionesdeaceptabilidadlocal”

The financial argument, because of the difficulties concerned in overcoming the Pyrenees, additionally makes use of Perbois. “Some say that France does not want Spain to send a lot of electricity, especially solar, to avoid competition. It does not want to be a transit country for the sale of Spanish solar energy. And I will not say that it is completely false, but there is a European commitment to develop interconnections. I believe that the main reasons are technical and budget,” he says. “The Spain line France cost a lot of money. At first it had to be aerial, but as the environmentalists opposed, a part of that high voltage line was buried. And that costs six times more. Then, of course, there is a debate about who pays it.”

For the Spanish Eurodiput, Nicolás González Casares, a member of the Energy Commission within the Eurocamara, there may be additionally an financial purpose, however extra linked to the sale of power: “France is reluctant to increase the interconnections so as not to have the competition to its nuclear energy of the cheap electricity produced with renewables in the Iberian Peninsula,” says this Galician socialist, which was a parliamentary. European electrical energy market.

The Spanish persistence in Brussels – at all times from the hand of Portugal, level from Madrid – to extend cross -border connections and improve interplay with the European market is seen in lots of the EU councils destined for power. In the final one, held final March, the third vice chairman and Minister of Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, once more. To have an inside market of power it’s important to have interconnections. We have been saying it for a very long time and perceive that now we’ve to take a step additional and get greater than a relationship to 2 elements, be a European guess. ”

This last expression – “European guess” – is vital within the Spanish argument. In Madrid it’s at all times suspicious that France intends to depart the difficulty of interconnections in a bilateral dimension and tries to incorporate it within the EU agenda, already did with the now vice chairman of the European Commission, Teresa Ribera, within the Government. It is a method to beat the reluctance galas that has labored prior to now – and never solely as a result of that’s how Brussels funds a part of the mission. EB 2022 and 2023, when Germany and the fee had been concerned within the impulse of the mission enrolled development of a hydrave that may transport hydrogen of the Iberian Peninsula, extra shortly than typical a mission was agreed that can construct a channeling between Barcelona and Marseille.