Climate emergency, Informative

Progress is made without guarantees in the opening of the illegal El Musel regasification plant

June 18, 2022

Progress is made without guarantees in the opening of the illegal El Musel regasification plant.

Ecologists in Action denounces the lack of clarity about the future of the Xixón regasification plant (Asturies) and its possible economic repercussions for society.
The plant would continue to be illegal, according to the environmental organization.

Given the favorable resolution of the report of the National Competition Market Commission (CNMC) regarding the administrative authorization and approval of the project of the El Musel regasification plant (Xixón), a logistics point for liquefied “natural” gas (LNG) Ecologistas en Acción expresses its concern about the consequences that this implementation may have at an economic, social, environmental level and on people's health.

Furthermore, it states that this report still does not clarify what its definitive use will be, nor the way in which the economic and access conditions for the provision of its services will be set.

“We still don't know how it will be compensated. And, although the hibernation status of the plant is recognized, we maintain that its true situation is one of illegality.” declares Marina Gros, responsible for the 'The truth about gas' campaign of Ecologistas en Acción. “The TSJ of Madrid was clear in the execution of the sentence, the authorization was declared null and, if there is no authorization, there is no hibernation. We insist, there is illegality,” concludes Gros.

With this resolution, what the future of the plant will be is still unresolved. Meanwhile, Enagás must deposit a deposit of six million euros as it has pending both the obtaining of the commissioning certificate and the justification of the obligations derived from the authorization.

On the other hand, the report contradicts the resolution of the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines (DGPM), and demands a favorable resolution from the National Commission of Markets and Competition on economic and access conditions, which is still in progress. processing.

However, the document does not clarify its remuneration regime either, given that the unique economic regime that the CNMC can establish for the provision of LNG logistics services is “temporary in nature”, it is required that they be under long-term contracts and Its main objective will not be access to the Spanish gas system to supply national demand.

Likewise, during this “temporary” period, the El Musel liquefied natural gas reception, storage and regasification plant will not be subject to the general third-party access regime. That is, unlike the rest of the regasification plants, Enagás, as owner of the installation, will not have the obligation to allow third parties access to it.

Without ever having come into operation, the illegal plant has already cost more than 282 million euros, according to communications from the CNMC itself. Of which, 236.12 million euros have been in costs of remuneration of the investment to the winning company, Enagás. The remaining 46.65 million euros were for operation and maintenance expenses. These expenses have been included in the gas bill under the heading of regulated costs.

The CNMC report stipulates that, from the moment the commissioning certificate is issued, the Enagás company will no longer receive the temporary remuneration that it has been receiving until now. Ecologists in Action demands that, if applicable, all the remunerations received since 2012 that have been paid among all citizens, companies and small businesses, be returned to maintain a totally unjustified plant for uses that have never been carried out.

Paco Ramos, spokesperson for Ecoloxistes n'Aión d'Asturies, denounces that “once again, those of us who have always denounced the lack of justification for this plant are right, which went from being unnecessary, and excluded from planning, to be essential to supply gas to the Ebro basin, later to the Northwest area and, now, and temporarily, to logistics services.”