The Ministry of Environment considers that this disparity is excessive and seeking ways to collect something to power. Secretary of State for Water, Josep Puxeu, warns: "The power companies can not keep out of the discussion of water management or the costs of this."
The pricing system for electricity is unique. The electricity companies are offering in terms of demand each time. The first provide the nuclear power that can not vary their power, renewable every fall by law and, if there is water in the reservoirs, hydropower. What is missing is complete with coal and gas, which are more expensive, and finally all paid the highest price. The result is that the hydro-not just costs and dams built decades ago, is charged the price of gas. If the gas rises in international markets, up the benefits of dams. Experts name this phenomenon as "benefits from heaven" (English, windfall profits.) The National Energy Commission warned the perverse effect of system in 2008, but only the crisis, the state's need to raise more and to contain the runaway electricity rates, has opened melon regulation. According to the methodology of the CNE, the sector received extra benefits 1,111 million in 2008 and 647 in 2009. The amount varies depending on the amount of rain and the price of gas, fixing the market. In the first eight months of this year, more rain, the amount is around 900 million.
Environment has revised the canons of the dams on which the operating power in the form of concession. The vast majority are reservoirs built in the forties and fifties, with grants of up to 75 years. "No pay for water. The amount of fees paid is minimal, "Executive summary of the sources, citing government favors to the electric Franco. The first major concession that will expire in 2024, according to these sources.
The Ministry of Water has been studied ways to recover concessions, but legally, say the sources, is practically impossible. The law requires offset the profits of the dealership, which in this case would be enormous, so the government has abandoned this way. But it has begun contacts with the power to see what could be the solution. The reform of the Water Act submitted Cristina Narbona did include a universal fee for water use that affect the power, but the bill was withdrawn and sleeps in a drawer.
The employer electric Unesa, disagrees. Argues that hydropower "is not amortized ever." Whether you were built decades ago, no matter what the fuel-in this case is virtually water-free and no matter who charge the same price per kilowatt that a newly constructed gas plant and fuel imported from Algeria. "The hydroelectric and nuclear are not depreciated. In fact, it is more than 40% of remaining economic life," says a draft report The financial position of the electrical activity in Spain: 1998-2009. Unesa
groups Endesa, Iberdrola, Gas Natural Group, E. ON and HC Power. Unesa provides a study it commissioned from the consultancy Deloitte in which he asserts that "it has noted the absence of so-called windfall profit
"
, and something similar has said the consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers, both of great prestige. Unesa
cites nuclear and hydro because they are similar cases. Old plants, which in many cases have received investments of public money for decades and they charge the highest price. Germany has opened the way to tax the nuclear exchange that can operate up 46 years maximum. With the system, the chancellor, Angela Merkel plans to raise about 30,000 million euros, to finance investment in renewable energy and combat the deficit. The central Garoña, 50% owned by Endesa and Iberdrola, work at least until 42 years without paying the tax or a lower pay. Moreover, the employer says that dams are not only redeemed, but it never can be: "This type of plant [refers to hydro and nuclear] can never be written off economically until the moment of its low operational. For regard to hydropower, as vast majority of concessions is to revert to the State, at the end of the concession period, in perfect working order.
The prosecutor has even calculated how much it would cost a tax on hydropower: between 408 and 544 million euros year depending on which the tax is 15 or 20 euros per megawatt produced, which could add another on nuclear between 893 and 1,191 million per year. Unesa unacceptable that possibility, although other companies have applauded the Germany. Unesa argues that the evidence of no benefit to the sector is bloated won last year 4.689 million euros after taxes between generation marketing and distribution.
professor at the University Carlos III of Madrid, and expert in the sector, Natalia Fabra disagrees with the interpretation of the bosses: "One thing is the book depreciation, how they reflect on their books, and that the work is not amortized . Another thing is the economic payback, if they have received enough income to pay for the work, and in this case very well received. "
Other official reports support the existence of the extra profits. In 2008, the National Energy Commission warned: "The position of advantage of nuclear and hydroelectric technologies that provides them with the current market design, high pay, not a position or competitive advantage that can be legitimized by the markets. Nuclear moratorium and exhaustion (in terms of significance) of the potential hydroelectric development of the park, determine the lack of freedom of entry into these technology segments and thus the impossibility of the existence, in fact, competition between technologies, and new entrants to challenge the perceived benefits. says something like White Paper Electricity commissioned by the Socialist Government shortly after arriving on the government to see how it could reform the system. This signals a "very unbalanced strongly against consumers, in view of the wide margins predictable exploitation of hydro and nuclear technologies. "
The issue is not minor. Between January and August, hydropower accounted for 19% of electricity in Spain. It really has been a wet year and is an exceptional rate, but gives an idea of \u200b\u200bwhich is not a niche technology.
An industry source with long memories recalled on changing the pricing system, "Dams are made with the calculation that would charge prices regulated, which followed the low price paid for water. Even until 1974 the consumer paid a 'premium new buildings' OFIL system with which consumers funded water projects. "From then charged a fixed price in 1997 after legal reform, the PP created the system that allows them to charge the highest price the market. The Government erred in finding that nuclear and hydroelectric plants would not be competitive with gas stations and fixed costs of transition to competition, a billion dollar compensation. The PSOE, in opposition, strongly protested against this helps.
The issue that generated debate just the boom years, arrived on Tuesday Congress. ICV deputy, Joan Herrera, carried a motion to remove nuclear law and hydraulic locking system prices: "We can not have dams built during the dictatorship of Franco, or even under the rule of Primo de Rivera, and not pay for water they use, generating huge profits from heaven", launched Herrera.
The rejection was almost overwhelming. The PNV and CiU demagogic considered the proposal and popular spokesman, Carlos Floriano, said the initiative "late radicalism"-the day before, the conservative leader Merkel had adopted a similar system for the German nuclear. PSOE spokesman, Antonio Cuevas, said the allegation that hydro and nuclear windfall gain "is not sustained." All of these groups sought to keep the debate in a congressional subcommittee that for more than a year trying to reach a consensus energy. In addition, PSOE and PP negotiate another deal out of Congress on these issues and the fear power affecting the benefits of dams and nuclear. Herrera had very little support. BNG only supported the motion in the gallery. Deputy Xesus Francisco Jorquera said: "The hydroelectric dams operating a public resource like water and get huge profits by allowing the company to pay much of the environmental costs."
Galicia is the community that has lived more intensely the debate. The fiscal Endesa reported last April by drying a 3.4 km stretch Eume River-in fish-Franco for 50 years between the dam and power plant which operates downstream. The prosecution alleged a possible crime against the natural resources and the environment by breaking the Inland Fisheries Act of Galicia, in 1992, which imposes a series of minimum flows, and requested a report to the National Energy Commission on benefits by the power this time. Pedro
In developing plans for each River Basin prepared by the Ministry of Environment, some utilities have asked for compensation, and in establishing environmental flows can not put turbines to produce electricity or to choose the most propitious time. The answer I gave Puxeu, and sent to the presidents of confederations is that there can be compensatory, that the river flow prior to the granting administrative and private business with a public good such as water must have limits. 
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