MADRID, 28 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The general director of Industry and Small Medium-Sized Enterprises, Galo Gutiérrez, has detailed that the planned budget for the decarbonization PERTE will reach 1,200 million in the chapter on subsidies and another 1,700 million in loans, in addition to the addendum related to the funds Europeans.
This was stated by Martínez at the inauguration of the Energy Forum organized by the Association of Companies with large energy consumption (Aege). The Director of Industry has also indicated that the schedule for this budget will range between 2023 and 2026.
To put this project in context, Martínez explained that in 2019 the manufacturing industry was responsible for 24% of final energy consumption in Spain and 21% of total greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions, which “forces” the Executive to take measures in relation to the climate quality objectives for the year 2050.
However, to meet these challenges, companies have to undertake “important investments with a high technological and economic risk.”
This is where the decarbonization PERTE appears, which, among other purposes, has to improve energy efficiency, boost the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector, promote energy security, reduce the consumption of natural gas in the industry, encourage the use of renewable energies, the protection of the environment, progress towards the circular economy and the creation of jobs with high added value.
The director of Industry has explained the lines by which the PERTE is deployed include aid for comprehensive decarbonization action, aid authorized by the European Commission for companies participating in industrial projects of strategic interest on the renewable hydrogen value chain and also the study and evaluation of a support fund for carbon difference contracts.
Likewise, Martínez has pointed out that along with the investment measures, other regulatory initiatives must be added. In this sense, he referred to the Industry Law, in which the ministry is working on the draft text with the idea of sending it to the Council of Ministers “as soon as possible”, with the “very tight” commitment to enact it as early as 2023.
On the other hand, Martínez has reviewed some figures of the sector. Among them, he pointed out that it is currently made up of some 190,000 companies –most of them SMEs– and they create two million jobs with a “high degree of qualification”.
Regarding the manufacturing industry, Martínez has detailed that it contributes 73.6% of the industrial added value to the global manufacturing sector.
