Spain Mulls Support to Gas-Fired Power Plants

The Spanish government is reportedly considering increased support for under-used gas-fired power plants in order to avoid closures around the country. 

According to Bloomberg, the government is playing its cards to convince Iberdrola and Gas Natural refraining from mothballing their facilities. 

Gas-fired plants can sell to the grid after all the available renewable power has been taken. Despite accounting for 25% of generating capacity in Spain, ga-fired power plants are under-used. They account for only 11% of production.

The Spanish Parliament published a new law in December 2013, changing the environmental requirements for industrial projects. The new measure could speed up approvals for shale exploration, increasing the amount of available gas.