Adapt the electrical network in the EU: 500,000 jobs and 425,000 million of i...

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Adapting electrical networks to the distribution needs of the energy transition in the European Union (EU) will require investing between 375,000 and 425,000 million euros until 2030 and will generate 500,000 jobs, according to an analysis published this Thursday by the European employers' association in the sector. , Eurelectric.

"To be fit for purpose in an increasingly decarbonised, decentralized Phone Number List and digitalised energy system, there is an urgent need to increase investments in Europe's distribution networks ," Eurelectric said in a statement.

The Brussels platform of electricity companies stressed that "distribution networks are the backbone of the digital and energy transition, since they guarantee a continuous and reliable electricity flow, integrate most renewable energy sources and allow the creation of new services for consumers .

And based on a study carried out by the industrial organizations Eurelectric, by European Distribution System Operators in ten European countries and supported by a Deloitte report, it was established that in this decade investments would have to be increased "by 50-70%" compared to the previous decade.

The drivers of this investment, adds Eurelectric, will be the energy transition underway: expansions and replacements related to the integration of variable renewables such as solar and wind, 70% of which will be connected at the distribution level, as well as to the progressive electrification of industry, transportation and construction.

But it is also necessary to reinforce investment, according to the sector's employers, due to the aging of infrastructure, since "the study finds that approximately a third of the EU networks are already more than 40 years old" and "it is likely that this proportion exceeds 50% by 2030 .

«Electromobility, in itself, is not a problem. Neither from the point of view of capacity, nor of networks," the general secretary of Eurelectric, Kristian Ruby, explains to Efe.




The representative of the sector in Brussels maintains that the challenge is "the combination that, in some parts of Europe at least, the networks are aging, that we are adding a lot of renewables and at the same time we are electrifying not only transport but also buildings and part of the industry .

Ruby believes that it is "better to invest now than regret it later . " «Now we have one or two million electric cars in Europe. In 2030 we will have thirty, forty or fifty million," she warns about the future of "exponential" growth that the electric car is expected to have.

He adds that although it is a strong investment that the electricity sector is demanding, it is money that will clearly provide social benefits while "we are seeing bailouts without any conditions, for example to airports or airlines" when it comes to "guaranteeing that "Public money serves the public good . "

The invoice of light

Although employers expect a significant increase in investment, they believe that "the impact on electricity prices and network rates is likely to be moderate if it provides the appropriate framework conditions and an intelligent rate design . "

Furthermore, the study shows that around 90% of investments, or between €30 billion and €35 ​​billion in annual revenue, could be captured by EU manufacturers and service providers thanks to the historic EU post-crisis recovery funding package. pandemic.

"One of the most interesting things that is happening in the electricity spectrum is what Spain is doing, this idea of ​​having a fund that covers all the costs of renewables," added Ruby, instead of adding a tax to the invoice, which is essentially broken down into generation, distribution and taxes costs.

The Government of Spain, where the electricity sector believes that it is necessary to invest 22,500 million in this decade, has agreed to begin the processing of a draft law to create a fund with which it will take out of the fixed costs of the electricity bill the financing for renewables.

The Executive hopes that this system, which will be nourished by contributions from the marketers of electricity, gas and petroleum products, will lower the consumer's bill by at least 13% in five years.