Spanish lawmakers approved the government’s electricity-saving decree, but whether the unpopular measure will help Spain meet its European commitment to cut gas use by 7 percent remains to be seen.
Introduced on August 10 as part of the European Union’s push to wean off Russian gas, the emergency energy savings range from mandatory temperature limits for air conditioning or heating to turning off lights in public buildings and shop windows. More measures are likely to be announced in September.
Parliament, where the ruling leftist coalition lacks a working majority and must rely on smaller regional parties to pass legislation, backed the decree by 187-161 votes – a significant margin for this legislature.
The main opposition parties have criticized the measures, which may now remain in force, as improvised, inefficient and harmful to the economy.
Defended by the government as standing in solidarity with the rest of Europe, the measures have been a hard sell in a country that does not depend on Russian gas and has suffered from brutal summer heat waves and the worst drought in decades.
The measures reduced electricity use by 6 percent during their first week.
But as drought has limited hydroelectric output, power plants have burned twice as much gas so far this month as a year ago, pushing Spain’s overall gas use 4 percent higher, according to data from the gas network operator Enagas.
Marcel Coderch, head of the Barcelona-based Association for Energy Resources Studies, said there was an extra incentive for power companies to use more gas because of a special cap on the input cost of gas and coal used by power plants.
Brussels authorized the scheme exclusively for Spain and Portugal in June to curb rising retail electricity prices on the Iberian peninsula, which has few energy interconnections with the rest of Europe. Spain imports most of its gas from the United States and Algeria.