The announcement by the Minister of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda, Álvaro Nadal, that the Government denies the renovation of the Garoña nuclear power plant opens a necessary debate on the energy mix that Spain should have in an increasingly near future. In this mix, biomass provides firm and manageable power, exactly what the system needs to be able to make up for the lack of the plant that is going to be dismantled.
A manageable and renewable technology
The production of electricity with biomass allows for very high utilization, up to 8,300 hours/year, despite this this technology has been largely forgotten in the auctions held in 2017. “The price cannot be the only variable to be considered, especially when biomass is one of the renewables that has the greatest stability, regardless of seasonal or atmospheric conditions,” explained Jordi Aguiló, president of APPA Biomasa.
The renewable and decarbonization objectives set for 2020 and those being considered for 2030 and 2050 make it necessary for all renewable technologies, especially those that are manageable and that provide firm power to the system, to be taken into account. Currently, Spain has 519 MW installed of solid biomass, 225 MW of biogas and 294 MW corresponding to the renewable waste fraction. In total, just 1,038 MW of bioenergy installed in our electrical mix, which could increase considerably if we had specific auctions for these technologies.
Important benefits: employment and reduction of fires
According to Aguiló, environmental and social benefits must be weighed when designing our energy transition: “The use of biomass prevents the uncontrolled burning of agricultural waste, reducing fires and valuing the field resources. Additionally, it generates 30 jobs per megawatt that remain in rural areas, traditionally affected by unemployment,” defended Jordi Aguiló.
