Cogeneration - 04/10/2012

Unanimous support of all political groups to boost cogeneration

On March 28, at the meeting of the Spanish Committee on Industry from the Congress of Deputies, the political groups unanimously approved the non-legislative proposal-by the members of the Spanish political party CiU, in which the House of Representatives urges the Government to:

1. - Promote a specific plan for industrial policy measures aimed at improving savings and efficiency, with special attention to the promotion of cogeneration processes.

2. - Encourage all industrial processes that contribute to increasing the competitiveness of our industry and to fulfil our commitments on emissions.

The non-legislative proposal made by CiU, contained in section 4 of the agenda was discussed and approved unanimously, following the change resulting from the amendment proposed by another political party, Partido Popular.

Sanchez i Llibre highlighted the need to associate specifically cogeneration industrial policy, by the fact that this technology brings competitiveness by reducing energy costs associated with the industrial activity, and contributes significantly to primary energy savings, to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and ensure the security of supply. Cogeneration responds to the binomial efficiency and competitiveness, essential for the promotion of an industrial policy with modern energy. A plan for energy efficiency measures, especially in the industrial cogeneration, will reduce deficiencies affecting our current energy system and stimulate the economic growth.

The deputy of Partido Popular, Rubén Moreno Palanques, shared the view that the use of cogeneration in the industry is a key element of competitiveness and noted that among the main EU energy policy objectives there is the need to improve the energy efficiency by 20% in 2020, and according to the Energy Efficiency Plan published in 2011, we are still on track to meet only half the goal of reducing energy consumption.

The deputy Chesús Yuste Cabello intervened for the party Izquierda Plural stating their agreement with the proposal and valuing it as appropriate for the current energy situation and industry.

The Socialist Party (PSOE) also expressed through its deputy, Román Ruiz Llamas, its equally favourable opinion to the initiative presented by CiU, noting that the socialist government has always contributed to boosting energy efficiency and cogeneration especially through various regulatory initiatives, such as the RD 661/2007 and the Plans for Energy Saving and Efficiency.