The Government has executed the extension, until September 2028, of the framework agreement of the Ministry of Defense with Hisdesat to continue with the tasks of the Spanish Earth observation satellite, the PAZ satellite, at a cost of 133 million euros.
This was stated by the acting government spokeswoman, Isabel Rodríguez, at the press conference after the Council of Ministers, in which she also explained that this satellite allows "very high resolution" images of the Earth to be taken.
In this sense, it has stressed that although the main use of this satellite is related to defense, it also has civil applications.
In his speech, Rodríguez also highlighted the Government's support for the national defense industry, while stressing that this agreement seeks to "promote and improve" the military capabilities of the Spanish Armed Forces.
The Council of Ministers has also approved the limits to acquire spending commitments of the future second addendum to the agreement between the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Junta de Andalucía for the promotion of the 'Ifmif-Dones' particle accelerator, the largest infrastructure of investigation of Spain, which is being built in Escúzar (Granada).
In total, the two administrations plan to allocate 43.7 million euros between 2024 and 2027, of which the Government of Spain, through the Ministry, is expected to contribute 21.9 million euros, as reported by the minister spokesperson acting, Isabel Rodríguez, at the press conference after the Council meeting.
The acting Minister for Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, highlighted in a note that 'Ifmif Dones' is a project that is part of "the Government's commitment to future renewable energy, and is key to developing the fusion energy, a clean, safe and sustainable energy that is produced in the center of the sun and the stars".
From the Government of Pedro Sánchez they have stressed that it is a scientific and technological infrastructure "unique in the world", which will allow, once built, the testing of materials for future fusion reactors under real operating conditions.
'Ifmif-Dones' will mobilize around 700 million in its construction and another 50 for its start-up. In addition, the cost of operation will be approximately 50 million per year during the useful life of the facility.
Spain has agreed to finance 50% of the construction cost and 10% of the operating cost. Croatia has promised to finance 5% of the project, and "progress is being made to close the rest of the international contributions", according to what the acting government has pointed out.
