Teresa Ribera calls on the private sector to get involved in the ecological transition

The minister points out at an event in Barcelona that "it cannot be that in a context as crazy as this there are those who do superbly well with the profit account"

The energy has been earned by giving scares a preferential place in the list of citizen concerns. Electricity bills fired and breath held in case the war in Ukraine pushes Russia to close the gas stopcock tags. The scenario has shaken the foundations of an energy model that was already suffering from weaknesses and has revealed the need to promote a reform that avoids dependence on unreliable suppliers and prioritizes clean energy sources. In this context, the Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, launches a warning to navigators: "It cannot be that in a context as crazy as this, of runaway prices, there is someone who is doing great profit account". The third vice president of the Government verbalized her warning in Barcelona, where this Friday she was starring in one of the React conferences, a forum with national and international experts to debate and reflect on the economic future and sustainability. Ribera highlighted that the aforementioned benefits, "later they translate into dividends", she specified, must contribute to bearing the burdens that "social transformation" entails. "It is impossible to face the transformation if we do not realize that it must be an equitable one," she specified.

The React, where the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez , also appeared, sought to put on the table the challenges posed by the ecological transition and the reduction of emissions. To questions from the director of EL PAÍS Pepa Bueno, who moderated one of the day's debates, Ribera stated that activating a change in the energy model will require an effort, but it is non-negotiable. And the burden must be shared between the public and private sectors, she said. How to encourage it? "There may be initiatives by the companies themselves or it may be through an invitation to do so," she said, before emphasizing that there is always the possibility of resorting to "a tax system" that advocates guaranteeing a return of the earnings. "We want there to be an equitable sharing of that effort," she said.

"It is very important to understand that you have to act to change the system," said Francesco La Camera, director general of IRENA, the international renewable energy agency. Wind and photovoltaic _They are presented as the engines of the energy leap, two allies to mitigate the threat of carbonization and CO2 concentrations. "The market is pushing us towards a new energy system, we need to act now", warned La Camera, while emphasizing that "collaboration between different levels of government is crucial". Jaume Collboni, first deputy mayor of the Barcelona City Council, admitted that cities play an important role in the energy transition and the reduction of pollution. "60 or 70% of emissions are generated by large cities, we have a moral obligation," he agreed.

Asked if the current unstable scenario can postpone the commitment to the green economy, Minister Ribera was blunt: "it is important not to stray from the path, continue and accelerate," she said. She did not ignore that "flexibilities" can be introduced in countries that require it. This does not appear to be the case in Spain or Portugal, she said. "We are well positioned, we do not have a strong dependence on Russian gas and we should take advantage of it," she considered.

Plans to seek alternatives to the unstable Russian energy supply have involved the rescue of a project that was parked in 2019: the MidCat gas pipeline. It was designed to unite Spain and France through Catalonia, but was abandoned due to the high costs involved. The Executive does not hide that the infrastructure has regained interest. "It is not a solution for the current crisis, but it is an important part of the decarbonization agenda," Ribera said.

While Brussels assesses the proposal to put a cap on the price of gas , looking for a carom to deflate the electricity rate, the head of the Ecological Transition portfolio pointed out that "the more consensus there is for that proposal, the easier it will be for there to be a favorable response by part of the European Commission.

Author: MARC ROVIRA

Photograph: MASSIMILIANO MINOCRI