Cogeneration, efficient power for the industrial competitiveness

The president of Receive, José Manuel Collados, affirms that “to approve in the current terms, the Project of Law of fiscal measures for the energetic sustainability, abocará to the immediate closing of 30% of the cogeneration and, in consequence, of many of his industries associated”. For Collados, “the effect will be a considerable increase of the energetic costs of the industries manufactureras, doing that these companies mermen his competitiveness and with this lose part of the external market achieved up to now, what will drive them to the closing and to the destruction of thousands of employments”.

The general director of Receive, Javier Rodríguez, reiterated this idea signalling that “or the Project modifies or Spain will suffer the consequences in his industry, with a loss estimated of 3,3% of the industrial GDP, that would suppose a fall of the 0,5 in the national GDP”. For Rodríguez, is basic to situate to the industry in the centre of the politics of recovery of the economy and for this there is a key tool of competitiveness that now has put especially in risk: the cogeneration”.

The president concluded saying that they Receive will continue offering to the government all his support and his collaboration, in the confidence that they reach the modifications required. But that of not being like this, the association keeps founded reasons “on some unconstitutional appearances of the Project, by what would not remain another remedy that look for the timely roads so that the Law was reported in front of the Constitutional Cutting”.

From Receive does an unanimous call to the government in the need to consolidate an energetic model to the service of the industry and no that the industry remain to favour of an energetic politics cambiante and unstable.

Between the predictable negative consequences of the application of these measures, quoted the fall in 9% of the demand of natural gas in 2013 and of 15% for 2015, as well as very grave economic and social effects, between them, the loss of more than 65.000 industrial employments direct.

For the cogeneration, the fiscal measures suppose a double varapalo –imposed to the electricity produced and to the natural gas with that it produces it-, that the own memory of the Project evaluates in 400 million euros to the year. If to this adds the impact of the RDL 1/2012, -750 millions that will be 1056 millions in 2015-, equivale to 30% of the total value of his electrical production: “simply inasumible”, signals from Receive.

For the industries, the project such cual is, will suppose between 1.000 and 1.600 million additional euros to the energetic bill. When consuming 9.600 million euros to the year in power, this translates in 16% of increase in the energetic costs.

As they Receive, the project is not balanced neither egalitarian, as the greater impact recae in the 900 industrial that invested 6.000 million euros in energetic efficiency –in cogeneration- and in the 23.000 industrial consumers with significant energetic costs in his structure of costs of production, precisely those who are compensating the inner atony thanks to his exporting capacity, but that if they lose competitiveness will see derrumbarse his sales in the outside.

Between the proposals of Receive, appears the exemption of the special tax to the natural gas and fuels used in planned cogeneration in the Directive 2003/96/CE of imposición energetic and the bonus of the tax of electrical generation of 65% (resultant tax of 2%). Likewise, it proposes the adaptation of the imposiciones planned in cogeneration. And, given the critical situation of the roughly 80 projects in course with upper realised investments to 100 million euros, that complete the administrative processing of the authorised before June of 2012, a regularisation that hardly increases the power of the sector since in his greater part are renewals of existent plants.

Cogeneration generates 12% of the national demand for electricity and uses 22% of the total natural gas (40% consumption of industrial gas). In Spain there are 1.033 cogeneration linked to industries - involving a GDP of 23,000 million year (15% of the industrial GDP)-, chemical, paper, food, pharmaceutical, azulejeras, automobile, petrochemical, textile and other manufacturing industries.

6.196 MW of installed power, similar to 2011, just 10 years without growth. The potential of industrial cogeneration is 3 times the currently exploited: 40% of the industrial GDP is in potentially cogenerators sectors. Production scheduled for the end of year is 33 TWh, similar to the 2011, an increase of electricity exported to the network of 5.3%. Production remains constant the past 5 years with just a 3 percent increase from 2008.

50% Of industrial production that uses cogeneration is exported, contributing to Spanish exports more than 11,000 million/year.

The RDL 1/2012 paralysed the renewal of the plants with more than 15 years, supposing a cost of 230 million euros in 2012 and 450 million euros for 2015. 38% of the power (2.372 MW) -more than 50% of the plants (505 installations)- fulfil now 15 years. 75% of the power (850 installations) will do it in 2015. The renewal does not suppose increase of the reward, sectorialmente hardly involves increase of the installed power.

The cogeneration is distant at present in 30% of the aim established by the government for this year. It is one of the technologies that greater profits generate to the group of the economy, with reasonable profitabilities more adjusted.

The RDL 1/2012 left 80 projects in course, with investments realised by amount of 115 million euros in a limbo administrative, peligrando the continuity of his industry associated.

The announcement of the Project of Law of fiscal measures has originated that it have duplicated the gap of price with the pool electrical of Germany and of France for the next two years.

- Generation in a same process of electrical power and useful heat, applicable in industries that use steam and/or hot water, require processes of dried and in any installation that consummates heat or cold.

- High energetic efficiency, saving of primary power, generation distributed of electricity and reduction of broadcasts.

- Important contribution to the hygiene of the energetic supply and to the sustainable development.

- System distributed of production of electricity (a lot of plants near of the centres of consumption), saving in lines of transport and distribution and contribution to the stability of the system.