It is a pleasure to be here with you today. to present to you the PERTE of Decarbonization, an ambitious initiative framed within the Recovery and Resilience Transformation Plan, which is intended to change the future of the industrial structure of our country.
This Plan, as you know, has funding close to €70 billion and establishes a set of investments and reforms necessary to achieve a solid economic recovery after the impact of the pandemic, and moving forward in the transition towards a more sustainable and digital economy. In particular, it allocates EUR 27 billion for the green transition, addressing measures for decarbonisation, energy efficiency, sustainable mobility, the circular economy and environmental protection.
Overall, this will account for approximately 37% of the total RTP.
The European Commission has definitively authorised the third disbursement of the Plan for a total of 6 billion euros. Thus, 21 months after the approval of the Plan, our country has already received 37,036 million euros, equivalent to 53% of our total amount in the form of non-reimbursable transfers. We are the Member State that is most advanced in fulfilling the milestones and objectives of the Plan.
In the country as a whole, 400,000 projects are already under way, led by companies, research centres or public administrations, with funding amounting to 27.3 billion euros.
The Basque Country has received more than 1,784 million euros of which almost half have been transferred for direct community management through the Sectoral Conference, agreements and direct concessions. The other almost 900 million € (49.9%) were implemented directly by the General Administration of the State and enabled the start-up of about 6,500 projects.
The pandemic made us aware of the need to recover industrial capacities, a fundamental issue for the economic development of the country. We cannot be too dependent on imports of manufactured products, as we risk disrupting supply and losing the ability to control product prices and quality.
Therefore, the recovery of industrial capacities is crucial to ensure stability and economic growth. This involves promoting policies that stimulate the return and development of the national industry, always aligned with the objectives of sustainable development.
As we all know, the emission of greenhouse gases is one of the main problems facing humanity. The warming of the climate is real and its effects are being felt all over the planet. This so-called “climate change” is having a devastating impact.
To face the problem we need concerted and urgent action at the global level and, at the same time, address relevant changes in our own country. That is where the Decarbonization PERTE becomes especially relevant. A set of ambitious initiatives and measures that will allow us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions within the internationally agreed deadlines.
We must be aware that this decarbonization process has important challenges and complications. Among them, I would like to highlight:
· Costs: the investment required for the transition to cleaner and renewable energy sources can be very high.
· Intermittence: Renewable energy sources are intermittent, which means that their availability varies according to the climate and atmospheric conditions.
· The storage: Energy storage technologies, such as batteries, are critical in coping with the intermittence of renewable energy sources. However, these technologies are still relatively expensive and their capacity is limited.
· The change of habits: Decarbonization also requires a change in the consumption habits of the population, which can be difficult to implement. For example, reducing the use of vehicles and adopting collective means of transport will be a challenge in terms of costs and availability.
In order to achieve the decarbonisation process, we must act on three fundamental pillars: the elimination of dependence on fossil fuels, the transition to a circular economy and the promotion of clean technologies.
The Government of Spain, aware of this, has designed and implemented three Strategic Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation:
· the PERTE of Renewable Energies, Hydrogen and Storage
· the PERTE of the Circular Economy and finally
· the PERTE of Decarbonization.
The latter is aimed at modernizing the Spanish economy, encouraging investment in sustainable technologies and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial sector.
In order to avoid dependence on fossil fuels, we must move towards the intensive use of renewable energy sources, which are becoming more economical and efficient.
But the elimination of fossil fuels alone is not enough. We must also move towards an effective circular economy. This involves the adoption of practices such as reuse, recycling and clean production.
The Decarbonization Plan is not just a matter of technology and economics. It is also a question of social justice and equity, because the most disadvantaged and vulnerable are those most affected by climate change. We need a firm and sustained commitment from the industry that you are here.