Minister Aagesen considers the electricity connection with France through Aragon to be “fundamental”

One of the Spanish government’s ” lessons ” after last week’s historic blackout lies in Aragon. The Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, assured the Senate this Tuesday that she will prioritize promoting cross-border energy connections with France , including a project through the Pyrenees, another in the Bay of Biscay, and a third in Navarre.

The three initiatives are part of the list of so-called PCI projects (important at the European Union community level), formalized at the end of November 2023 and for which a new funding call of 600 million euros was opened just over a month ago. In the case of the Community, the so-called ” Pyrenean Crossing 2 ” would connect the Aragon Valley through the mountains with the town of Marsillon , in the Aquitaine region, located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Promoted by Red Eléctrica and the French RTE, it is classified as a long-term project. It includes the construction of two new lines, one to Marsillon and another from Ejea de los Caballeros, and two substations to produce 400 kilowatts of energy each: the first in the aforementioned Ejea, connected to the La Serna-Magallón and Magallón-Peñalba lines, and another in the Aragón Valley, as a link between the current network and the future cross-border crossing.

According to the documentation provided two years ago (2023), the initial plan was to grant permits from then on and for construction to begin next year, in December 2029. The minister has not shed any light on possible changes to these deadlines, although she has announced that they will receive a financial injection from the “Connecting Europe” funds.

“A MAXIM”

“Interconnections have been a priority. We have been working with France, Portugal, and the European Commission for some time to ensure they arrive as soon as possible,” he stated during the government oversight session.

Aside from the new projects, the minister has not ventured to suggest possible causes for the blackout. Aagesen has defended the actions taken “from the very first minute” with the protocols and the crisis committee . All of this occurred under “very exceptional circumstances.” The minister has called for “taking advantage of the lessons learned” to act with ” greater agility ” on other occasions and also to rethink possible changes to the electricity system, such as the aforementioned border crossings.