Catalonia does not have sufficient capacity to ensure the renewable energy that will be required after the closure of the Catalan nuclear power plants - scheduled for between 2030 and 2035 -, which is why the central government provisionally authorized this summer the private project to construct three power lines. high voltage (MAT) from Aragon to transport that energy, but this project has the rejection of the Government, of a good part of the affected territory, and as has been seen in the Parliament, of the majority of Catalan parties. Through an ERC motion, the Catalan Chamber has reflected its opposition to these infrastructures that would cover 338 km with towers of more than 60 meters across 64 municipalities and 13 Catalan regions.
The rejection of ERC, Junts, CUP and Comunes is argued that these lines “carve out” the territory, are of private origin - they are piloted by the Aragonese company Forestalia -, threaten the energy “sovereignty” of Catalonia and do not respond to the energy model “democratized and with maximum balance and territorial complicity.”
Furthermore, these parties accuse the central government of acting disloyally in the administrative processing of these projects, despite the fact that the Ministry of Ecological Transition led by Teresa Ribera has left this construction in the hands of the Acció Climàtica department, so that if Its biodiversity reports, which the Generalitat has yet to present, are negative, the project will not start.
In any case, the underlying problem does not disappear. Although the Government opposes the construction of these MAT, Catalonia faces the challenge of ensuring the country's energy demand with renewable energy and meeting the established objectives: achieving that in 2030 50% of the demand is satisfied with renewable energy and reaching in 2050 to climate neutrality.
ERC, with the support of Junts la CUP and En Comú Podem, has championed the fight against the three lines of the MAT, while the businessmen and the PSC, who abstained in their rejection of the MAT, warn that, although This project is not the most appropriate, it seems necessary given the delay in renewables that Catalonia is suffering.
Renewables would end the year above 50% of Spanish electricity generation, but in Catalonia they barely represent 20%. And to meet the objectives, a more than significant acceleration will be required in which everyone agrees, including the Government, but also the construction of large wind and photovoltaic parks, which will occupy 2% of the Catalan territory.
According to the PSC, Catalonia has a "very worrying" delay problem in terms of renewables "due to the inaction and neglect of the Government", and they suspect that the Department of Climate Action has not yet issued biodiversity reports unfavorable to the MAT because Deep down, he believes that they can solve part of Catalonia's energy needs.
The motion approved in the Parliament urges the central Executive to “act before the large electricity companies to recover control of distribution”, and in the case of the MAT, it is committed to “undertaking all the necessary administrative and legal measures” to appeal the administrative authorizations for the construction of these lines.
