Uralde: "Ribera must rectify and recover the environmental impact assessment in renewable projects"

   MADRID, 8 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The deputy of United We Can and spokesman for Alianza Verde, Juantxo López de Uralde, considers that the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge must "rectify" and "recover" the environmental assessment for "all" renewable energy projects.

López de Uralde has defended in an interview with Europa Press, that for the purple formation it is necessary to go to a one hundred percent renewable energy model, but at the same time be "very careful with the potential environmental impacts of these energy sources".

"We have always been very clear on the need to move towards a model that is one hundred percent based on renewable energy. That is what we defend and that is what we are working for and I believe that this energy transition model is the one that reflects the Climate Change Law", has assured, however, the deputy who insists on demanding an environmental impact assessment in all projects.

To this end, it has presented in the Congress of Deputies an amendment to the Royal Decree on urgent measures for the conflict in Ukraine --which exempts these projects from this procedure in order to speed up deployment--. Specifically, the purples propose that renewables not be installed in protected areas and that they be safeguarded because, Uralde affirms that, in reality, very little territory is needed to establish renewable energy sources that guarantee the necessary energy productivity.

"It is less than 1 percent of the national territory, it is little territory but it must be located well," he defends.

In this context, he states that from United We Can be "very critical" of the decision of the department headed by Teresa Ribera to eliminate environmental evaluations because they warn that this is a decision that could harm renewables because it could "benefit the bad guys, the that generate greater environmental impact and harm those who are really careful with the environmental assessment".

In his opinion, all of this should be aimed at achieving an energy transition in time, in which he even sees it possible not only to comply with, but even to bring forward the calendar for the closure of nuclear power plants.

In his opinion "it does not make any sense" to extend the useful life of nuclear power plants beyond what has already been established--as required by the sector--due to the favorable evolution of energy prices. "The commitment to renewable energies is proving very effective," defends the United Podemos deputy, who affirms that these are the ones that are generating cheaper energy in the shortest period of time.

Thus, he insists that "it would be absurd" to bet on nuclear with the risks it has when "it is not necessary" since, for example, in 2022 wind energy was already the main source of electricity production and photovoltaic solar is "achieving production record practically every day".

In short, he is of the opinion that "it makes no sense to change the closure calendar" and predicts that not only will there be no problem in complying with it, but, on the contrary, if renewables continue to grow at this rate, it will be possible to do without it before that period.

On the other hand, in environmental matters, López de Uralde has also emphasized the importance of enforcing recent European regulations to avoid imported deforestation, especially in tropical forests and the Amazon; that is to say, that products that have contributed to the felling of the forest can be marketed in Spain. For this, he considers that it is necessary to be "very strict" when following the entire value chain of the products.

On the other hand, regarding progress in climate action, he regrets that 2022 was "negative" from the point of view of emissions because given the drought, hydroelectric production dropped and more gas had to be consumed, which increased emissions from CO2, although he is confident that this increase will be corrected and "quickly" a reduction in emissions will begin to be noticed, precisely because of the entry of more renewables.

In any case, he believes that the "pending issue" in Spanish emissions is transport and wants the country to align with the climate ambition of the European Union and in the revision of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) -- planned for this year-- Spain commits to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% of the emissions based on the year 1990 by 2030.

Precisely, one of the measures of the Climate Change Law is the requirement to implement low emission zones in cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, something that "unfortunately only 13 of the cities have done", according to López de Uralde. : "It is one of the pending subjects".

In fact, the coordinator of Alianza Verde stresses that the ecological struggle is going to be won or lost in the cities, where most of the population lives and where the greatest consumption of resources occurs. "Cities are large emitters of pollution and therefore, if we want to win the environmental fight, we must win it in the cities", he added.

One of the measures would be complying with environmental rulings and, in this sense, López de Uralde laments that "unfortunately" there is a lack of awareness about compliance with environmental laws that "seem second-rate" in rulings before major catastrophes.

"At the moment of truth, and we see it in the great environmental catastrophes in Spain, they have not had those responsible to pay for it in court: In the Prestige or the Boliden mines, everyone got off scot-free. It's not just the Algarrobico or Valdecañas, is that in Spain there is a lot of contamination and little is paid," he declared.

In this regard, he calls for more social awareness in compliance with sentences and sentences, which must be complied with as with the rest of the laws because ecological crimes are "very serious" and threaten public health. "It is not a problem of harshness of the penal code, but of the application of the corresponding penalties," he clarifies.

Finally, remember the process of processing the Animal Welfare Law, recently approved. The project that was approved in the Council of Ministers of the Coalition Government faced in Congress an amendment to exclude hunting and working dogs that was finally approved. "It was a bombshell that the PSOE presented an amendment to save hunting dogs that made it very difficult for us to carry this law through to the end," he admits.