WRITTEN QUESTION E-1812/03

by Miquel Mayol i Raynal (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(2 June 2003)

Subject: Electrical power line in Northern Catalonia

The French electricity carrier RTE wishes to create a third (400 000-volt) electrical power line, linking the French and Spanish states through Northern Catalonia (i.e. the territory which forms part of the French region of Languedoc-Roussillon). At present, two ultra-high tension (400 000-volt) lines (THT lines) link the Spanish state to nuclear power stations in France via the Pyrenees (Cantagrità-Herman on the western side and Bajara-Vic on the eastern side). There are also two 225 000-volt lines (Pragueres-Biescas and Arkale-Mougerre).

With this new line. the French public-sector electricity company EDF (Electricité de France) hopes to strengthen its commercial position in the Iberian peninsula. The agreement between the Spanish and French governments provides for participation in the Hidrocantábrico company by the German electricity company E-Bw, which is owned by EDF, in exchange for measures from the French authorities to permit the reinforcement of the existing links between the two states.

The territory of Northern Catalonia is crossed (or will be in the future) by lines and links of multiple kinds: the THT line, the high-speed rail line, the Rhône-Barcelona aqueduct, the dual-carriageway motorway, the gas pipeline, etc. The present project is being fiercely contested in the territory's social and political milieux: the Conseil Général (département council) and the municipal councils of all 41 local authorities affected have expressed their opposition, banding together under the slogan 400 000 volts no thanks!. It is argued that the line will damage farmland and create electromagnetic fields which will have an adverse effect on the inhabitants' health. Its construction will also provide a justification for the French state to retain its nuclear power stations and, indeed, to build more.

Does the Commission consider this to be a priority project in the context of the trans-European energy networks? Does it intend that it should be cofinanced?

Does the Commission believe this project to be compatible with the promotion of sustainable development (as one of the pillars of the Lisbon process) or the policy of promoting alternative energy sources?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(24 July 2003)

The electrical power line in northern Catalonia must be seen in the context of strengthening the electrical interconnection capacity between France and Spain. In this respect, the Commission would point out that the proposed new interconnection between France and Spain is one of the priority energy network projects agreed upon at the Essen Summit back in 1994.

The need for the overland electricity link between the grids of the two countries across south-western France and northern Spain was confirmed in 1996 by the adoption of the guidelines for the trans-European energy networks.

On 4 June 2003, Parliament approved the revision of these guidelines on the second reading. Among the priority links for the energy networks, the revision provides for the EL3 link, which is concerned with strengthening electrical interconnection capacity between France, Spain and Portugal.

In addition, according to these revised guidelines the following projects are specifically included among the projects of common interest (in Annex III):

- 2.8. New interconnection across the Pyrenees between France and Spain;

- 2.9. Connection across the western Pyrenees between France and Spain.

In conclusion, it is absolutely clear that a plan for a power line linking France and Spain through northern Catalonia is a priority project within the meaning of the trans-European networks policy.

A project of this kind is also in line with the Lisbon Process since it resolve the problem of a major bottleneck by allowing more competition in the internal market in electricity between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of the Union.

A project of this kind is not an obstacle to the promotion of renewable energy since any substantial increase in electricity from wind power in Spain has to be backed up by a properly developed transmission grid, in particular to make up for any temporary but unforeseeable losses of wind power.

Finally, the Commission would point out that several activities relating to electricity interconnections between France and Spain have received funding since 1995 in the framework of the Regulation on financial support for the trans-European networks, in particular technical and environmental studies for the interconnection project between France and Spain across the western Pyrenees. For the latter project, funding of nearly EUR 400 000 was agreed upon in 2000.