MADRID, 26 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -
The third vice president of the Government and minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, begins this Friday a new round of talks with the main sectoral, social, political and civil society agents to gather proposals that help Spain reduce its gas consumption in order to design the Contingency Plan that the Government must send to Brussels.
The first of the meetings that Ribera will hold will be with the CEO of Enagás, Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri, with whom he will meet this Friday from 9:30 a.m. at the Ministry's headquarters, as reported by his Department.
This round of talks is framed in the context of the design of the Contingency Plan that the Government must submit to the European Commission within the community strategy to face the impact of the war in Ukraine.
The start of this 'tour' to collect proposals from companies in the sector and economic and social agents comes a day after the plenary session of Congress validated the energy saving decree, which will finally be processed as a bill for inclusion of some modifications demanded by the partners of Government.
The decree, whose measures will continue to be applied despite being processed as a bill, includes the first package of energy saving measures planned to comply with the voluntary reduction in gas consumption, given the risk of a supply cut by Russia , as well as aid for the promotion of public transport such as free Cercanías, Rodalíes and Media Distancia services from September 1 to the end of the year.
This energy saving plan, which will be completed with the design of the Contingency Plan, limits heating and cooling temperatures to 19 and 27 degrees Celsius, respectively, in public administration buildings, commercial establishments such as department stores or shopping centres, cultural spaces or transport infrastructures such as stations or airports. The norm excludes hospitals, educational centers, gyms, hairdressers or restaurant kitchens.
Likewise, it requires the lights of shop windows and unoccupied public buildings to be turned off after 10:00 p.m. and requires that before September 30, both buildings and premises have automatic closures on the access doors to prevent them from being permanently open.
Commercial spaces, public buildings, cultural spaces and hotels that fail to comply with the energy saving and efficiency plan approved by the Government will face fines of up to 60,000 euros for minor infractions, up to six million euros for serious ones and up to 100 million euros for the very serious.
The same decree law also contains new calls for aid for land transport of goods, speeds up renewable energy and storage facilities and contemplates the complementary scholarship of 100 euros for anyone who receives scholarships and study aid announced by the President of the Government in the Last Debate on the State of the Nation.