Sept 29 (Reuters) – Spain, Portugal, and Luxembourg sent a letter to the European Commission in which the countries asked for a new EU target to expand renewable energy, said Spanish Energy Minister Sara Aagesen on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting of EU countries’ energy ministers in Dublin.
The three countries called on the Commission to propose a framework that would take into account the strategic role of renewable energy, strengthening the security of energy supply and the need for affordable, competitive prices.
“We need clarity regarding the target we must set — for the year 2040 — an energy goal that is both ambitious and realistic”, Aagesen told journalists.
The European Union has a target to increase the share of renewable energy in its overall energy consumption by 2030 to 42.5%. It is currently discussing whether to set a renewable energy target for 2040 or a broader “clean energy” goal which would also include nuclear power.
Aagesen added that Spain and five other member states have put forward a proposal to the Commission to consider measures to capture windfall profits from high energy prices.
She also said Spain would welcome a permanent levy on companies in the oil and gas sector to raise funds for climate resilience actions amidst rising temperatures on the continent.
European consumers and companies have faced rising energy and fuel prices after the closing of the Strait of Hormuz in the US-Israeli war with Iran.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro, and Kate Abnett; Writing by Mateusz Rabiega, Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar)
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