Ribera: Spain has ‘enormous difficulties with France‘ on cross-border energy links

The Spanish Energy Minister, Teresa Ribera, says the French have been blocking projects to better connect the Iberian Peninsula to the European grid for years, calling it an absolute shame. 

Ribera, well-connected among the EU’s pro-renewables countries, is eyeing the EU energy portfolio next term. Speaking to Handelsblatt in Berlin, she slammed the French government for blocking cross-border power lines. 

The Iberian Peninsula is colloquially known as an ‘energy island’ for its limited wire and pipeline connections with the rest of Europe, known as ‘interconnectors’.

Building more power lines to France is a “top priority for us,” said Ribera. 

“But the French have been blocking it [interconnectors] for years – that’s an absolute shame” she explained, adding that “when France had to shut down numerous nuclear power plants last year due to the drought, Paris asked for help from its neighbours.” 

And Spain “exported as much electricity to France as the grids would allow.” 

She draws on the “traumatic experience” of the energy crisis to push Paris. Connecting the Iberian Peninsula to Europe “must not be a purely bilateral issue,” the minister stressed. 

The would-be Commissioner says that interconnection between EU countries is the way to go: “The more connected our energy networks are, the more opportunities we have to find quick alternatives.”

To date, the degree of interconnection between Spain and France amounts to some 6% of power capacity, significantly below the 15% target across Europe.

France, Spain announce breakthrough in undersea power link

France and Spain announced a breakthrough on Thursday (2 March) in a long-running impasse over what would be their first undersea electricity link, a move that will nearly double the power exchange capacity between the two countries – from 2,800 to 5,000 megawatts (MW).

Macron signals openness on  interconnection

During a speech at Sorbonne University on Thursday (25 April), French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that Paris may be coming around on interconnectors.

“We need to build a lot more renewable and nuclear capacity … and to invest in electricity interconnections in Europe,” he said.

[Edited by Donagh Cagney/Alice Taylor]

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