The forum “The Future of the Energy Sector”, organised by El País and KPMG on 24 January, brought together leading executives and representatives of the energy sector. Sara Aagesen, Secretary of State for Energy at the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, officially opened the event and stressed the importance of accelerating the energy transition to combat the environmental crisis through short, medium and long-term action.
After the opening, a round table discussion was held with the participation of Arturo Gonzalo, CEO of Enagás, Beatriz Corredor, Chair of Redeia, Ana Paula Marques, CEO of EDP Spain, Andrés Guevara, Chair of BP in Spain, Jorge Lanza, CEO of Exolum and Carlos Solé, Head of Energy and Natural Resources at KPMG in Spain, moderated by Ignacio Fariza, journalist at El País.
During the debate, the participants concurred on several points: the uncertainty and volatility that characterise the current energy paradigm, and the essential role of sustainability and Spain in driving decarbonisation.
The CEO of Enagás highlighted the role Spain plays in ensuring security of supply in Europe, as the country has 33% of the LNG regasification capacity on the European continent and 44% of the storage facilities. These strengths are critical for helping other EU countries. “There is a lot to do, but we are showing that we have the determination, the institutional mechanisms and the electricity and gas infrastructure in Spain that put us in a position of confidence and strength. The next step is to accelerate the development of renewable gases and to advocate for interconnections for a more integrated European system,” he stressed.
With regard to the development of hydrogen and biomethane in our country, Arturo Gonzalo pointed out that “Spain has a great responsibility and opportunity to contribute to the construction of Europe as a collective endeavour”, with the help of the stakeholders in the industry who have built the existing infrastructure. He also stated that Spain aims to be the largest producer of competitive renewable hydrogen in Europe, “both for our own needs, because we have an industry that needs this competitive hydrogen, and to export up to 10% of the consumption that Europe will have by 2030”, he added.
