S pain has long suffered from a reputation for high power costs in relation to France, the result of paying for now-abandoned nuclear power projects. However, costs are coming down, and industry can look forward to reductions of six to seven percent every year. It was to assure cost-effective power and to tap an unending energy resource that Navarre five years ago began producing wind energy. The province's four profitable wind-energy factories produce the towers, the blades and the mechanical and electronic parts. Navarre ranks first in Spain and among the top in Europe for production of energy by wind and for production of the parts and machinery.
Natural gas is abundant and available from multiple suppliers.
The pipeline from Barcelona to Bilbao brings North African gas, and the pipeline from central Europe intersects with the Barcelona-Bilbao pipeline in Navarre. Water, held in strategically placed reservoirs, is abundant, except for Navarre's dwarf desert. Some 10 reservoirs supply water to cities and industry, generate electricity and irrigate large areas. They are also sources of recreation. The water quality is good and is kept that way by a strong environmental program.