The demand for energy has fallen by 3.7% since the saving measures approved by the Government in accordance with the European Union have been implemented, despite the fact that the plan has begun to be implemented in the midst of a heat wave, according to highlighted the vice president and minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, at a press conference in Maó (Menorca).
The vice president has made a first assessment of the consequences of these measures and has asked that they be taken "with caution" until more days have passed. The savings proposals include a maximum limit on the refrigeration of offices and other spaces for public use, such as shops, which must turn off their windows at night and must take measures so that their doors remain closed if they have the air conditioning running. .
The Government has committed to reducing energy consumption by 7%, so that the first week of compliance with the saving measures has reached just over half of that final objective. The vice president has insisted that the implementation of this plan has been proposed in the midst of a heat wave with very high temperatures throughout Spain.
In any case, the vice president has considered that citizens have acted responsibly and has assured that the savings are a sign of the greater sensitivity of households and companies with the "responsible" use of energy. For Ribera, there is a clear trend in "civic commitment and understanding of the context in which these measures have been adopted" and in their "effectiveness", which has caused this decline.
As Pedro Sánchez has already expressed on several occasions, the vice president also appealed for solidarity with Europe, where the energy saving objective is double that of Spain. "Only by fulfilling that commitment of voluntary solidarity in these first months, will we be in a position to face the response to Vladimir Putin's energy blackmail in a united way", she stated.
The savings data support the Government's decision, according to Ribera, and expose those who only seek "problem solutions" and cause "noise" in the face of the Government's action, he stressed.
The vice president has also detailed that the so-called "Iberian exception" has meant a saving of 22 million euros per day for the pockets of citizens and companies, which represents a total of 1,383 million euros in the two months since it was apply this mechanism. The average price of the electricity wholesale market has stood at 143 euros per megawatt hour (MWh).
The price is below other European Union countries such as France (378 euros/MWh), Italy (422 euros/MWh) or Germany (319 euros/MWh). "Today practically all of Europe has a price above 500 euros," he said.
