Closure of coal-fired power stations in Spain

Question for written answer E-007445/2017 to the Commission Rule 130 Florent Marcellesi (Verts/ALE) and Xabier Benito Ziluaga (GUE/NGL) Subject: Closure of coal-fired power stations in Spain Spain’s Ministry of Energy has drawn up the first draft of a royal decree to stop the closure of coal-fired power stations. The Spanish Government has included in this draft bill a clause enabling these power stations to receive payments where necessary to prevent their closure, and this despite Spain having excess electricity generation capacity and the inclusion already in regulations governing closure of coal-fired power stations of criteria guaranteeing security of supply. Bearing in mind the climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, and the fact that the Commission has said, with reference to capacity mechanisms for power stations, that companies cannot be given state aid simply to enable them to meet the EU’s mandatory environmental standards: – Does the Commission believe it right that coal-fired power stations should be given these new payments to meet environmental standards, despite the country’s excess generating capacity and the fact that security of supply has already been assured? – Does the Commission believe that the Spanish Government’s proposal complies with the rules of the present-day EU energy market? – The proposed royal decree will prolong the working life of old fossil-fuel power stations. Does the Commission consider that delaying the closure of these power stations is consistent with the Paris Agreement and the EU’s 2050 roadmap?