The CEO of Eiffage Energía Sistemas, José Manuel Martínez, held a meeting in Albacete with the Minister for Sustainable Development, Mercedes Gómez, to discuss the various projects and advancements that Castilla-La Mancha is experiencing in the field of renewable energy.
These projects revolve around the Strategic Energy Development Plan with a 2023 horizon, which “we are following and, thanks to public-private partnerships, it is very likely that some of the milestones we set will be achieved even before 2030”, Gómez noted.
For his part, José Manuel Martínez valued the support of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha as “absolutely essential for us to be able to be number one in solar panel and wind installation – and in third place worldwide”.
In this regard, Martínez stressed the “facilities” provided by the regional government to “accelerate the procedures to make these investment efforts a reality”.
Over 12,000MW of power
The Minister stated that, thanks to the energy deployment that has taken place in Castilla-La Mancha, “we already have more than 12,000 MW of power, both photovoltaic, which exceeds 6,600 MW, and wind”. These figures “position us nationally more than 22 points above the average in terms of renewable energy production”.
These numbers, as the Minister explained, have been achieved “thanks to the investment effort made by companies; but also to the effort made by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, taking into account not only that Plan but also the modification of administrative procedures. These procedures are sometimes very tedious for making progress with these projects, due to the modification of the Law on Administrative Measures and the Law on Priority Projects”.
Public-private partnerships
In this context, Gómez highlighted that in the Government presided over by García-Page, “we have always been very clear that renewables are the basis for the implementation of a new more environmentally-friendly energy model; as well as more economical for consumers and users”. And to achieve this, “collaboration with the sector is fundamental. That is why the administration I represent is providing the necessary means for Castilla-La Mancha to be an attractive territory for your investments”, she said.
Pioneering decisions and millions in aid
The Minister also referred to “novel and pioneering decisions”, such as the implementation of the so-called E Team in 2020. “A multidisciplinary work team to which we allocated nearly three million euros, which has multiplied the processing of renewable files tenfold”. As well as the launch, in March 2022, of the Energy Advisory Office. “A regional government initiative to advise on renewable energy and energy efficiency, which last year alone handled 15,000 enquiries from citizens, administrations, and companies”. Finally, Gómez highlighted that companies have also had significant aid packages in recent years to install renewables; opt for electric mobility; carry out energy efficiency actions; or implement self-consumption, which has reached €98.8 million. “In total, we have mobilised more than €170 million from RRF funds to accelerate our energy transition among the population”, she explained.
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