The update of the PNIEC is still far from a transformation

The update of the PNIEC is still far from a rapid, fair and definitive transformation in the face of the climate emergency

• Ecologistas en Acción presents allegations to the PNIEC, where it demands an increase in the reduction of emissions, greater objectives for reducing energy consumption and more detailed planning.
• The environmental organization considers that the replacement of fossil energy sources with other renewable sources cannot repeat the errors of an economic system that has led to the current situation of planetary crisis.
• The energy transformation must put citizens at the center regarding macroeconomic businesses and corporate profits. For this reason, Ecologistas en Acción joins the mobilizations on September 15 to demand the end of fossil fuels.

Last June, the government made public the draft for updating the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). An update that increases the emissions reduction objectives, but still falls very short of meeting the scientific indications that show the need to achieve, at least, a 55% reduction in emissions in 2030. Therefore, the mobilizations will continue climatic events, such as those that will take place on September 15. These demonstrations will show how far we are from ending fossil fuels quickly, fairly and definitively.

The environmental organization has sent numerous considerations to this update to the Ministry for the Energy Transition and the Demographic Challenge. One of them is the need to incorporate an increase in the reduction of emissions, greater objectives for reducing energy consumption and more detailed planning on the sectors called for closure, the availability of materials and energy for the different uses that are intended to be replaced. . For the environmental organization, the push to replace fossil energy sources with other renewable sources cannot repeat the errors of the economic system that has led to the current situation of planetary crisis. Citizens must be put at the center of macroeconomic businesses and corporate profits. A large number of organizations, including Ecologistas en Acción, pointed out the absence of a broader participation process for the preparation of the PNIEC. Citizen participation must increase.

The allegations presented assess the new measures incorporated into this planning, some of them aimed at reducing the negative effects that the energy transition is having. These social measures appear as aspirations. For this reason, Ecologists in Action has once again moved its planning proposals for the development of renewables, reform of the energy market, social and thermal tariffs and energy rescue. However, it is not only necessary to promote new measures, technologies or new labor sectors, but also to modify regulations such as reducing participation times in the processing of renewable energies provided for in RDL20/2022, proceeding to the immediate closure of nuclear power plants. , combined cycle or stop continuing to finance unviable projects such as H2Med, the Iberian hydrogen corridor, the regasification bubble such as that of Musel or unnecessary electrical interconnections.

Ecologists in Action once again denounces that the commitment to convert the territory into a major energy exporter is reckless due to the enormous environmental and social costs that it would entail. Thus, going from a purely importing balance in 2020 to an exporting balance of almost 50 TWh of electrical energy, or the huge quantities of hydrogen for export announced for 2030, entails a substantial increase in the occupation of the territory, the increase in environmental impacts and social, in addition to infrastructure costs assumed by the entire population. An oversizing that, once again, puts business interests and large international investment funds before the urgency of sizing a renewable energy system that is sustainable in the long term. The environmental organization points out again that many of these proposals distract from the necessary transformations. Meanwhile, time and resources available to develop a socially and environmentally just energy system are running out.

Furthermore, Ecologistas en Acción points out, most of the emissions in the Spanish State are caused by transport, a sector that requires structural measures that are capable of reducing the excessive use of private vehicles, towards a system based on public transport and a lower energy demand for individualized transportation. In this sense, in this consultation process, numerous measures have been transmitted, including expanding and reinforcing low-emission zones, paralyzing the expansion of ports and airports, prohibiting short-distance flights or promoting rail transport of people and goods that replace displacements more emitters.

This update must undergo a Strategic Environmental Assessment in the coming months, as happened with the previous version. Ecologistas en Acción points out that this procedure must consider the impacts in detail and introduce environmental and social guarantees that prevent the entry of harmful projects disguised in greenery. The environmental organization insists that extreme weather events have already shown that the cost of not acting in time is much higher than taking the necessary actions. Actions that must lead to more exhaustive planning, capable of complying with scientific indications to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 ºC.