Spain rejects EU proposal to cut gas consumption by 15 pct

Madrid, Spain | Xinhua | The Spanish government rejects the plan announced Wednesday by the European Commission to cut gas consumption by 15 percent in the coming months in view of the possibility that Russia will cut gas supplies to Europe, Teresa Ribera, minister for ecological transition, has said.

“Whatever happens, Spanish families will not suffer gas or electricity cuts in their homes and the government will defend the position of Spanish industry, which has paid a special price to guarantee the security of supply,” the minister said.

Ribera said consumption in Spain had been within reasonable limits. “We want to help, but we also want to be respected,” she said. She added that “a disproportionate sacrifice cannot be imposed on us,” especially when “we have not been asked for an opinion”.

The European Commission’s proposal aims at a voluntary 15 percent reduction in average consumption over the last five years. In the case of Spain, this would be 55 terawatt hours (TWh) out of an average of 367.28 TWh.