Basque Energy Agency celebrates its 35th anniversary

The Basque Government’s energy agency, Ente Vasco de la Energía (EVE), is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Throughout its history, it has contributed to the development of a planned and sustained energy policy for the Basque Country. From the industrial and energy restructuring of the 1980s to the current transition towards renewables, energy policy has formed a very significant part of Basque industrial policy, both as an indispensable element for the operation of the industrial and business fabric, and for its capacity to attract new production technologies and industries, contributing new wealth and jobs. Energy policies have also generated an unprecedented level of wellbeing for all citizens. EVE’s energy projects over the period are estimated to have generated 142 million euro for the Basque economy.

35 years working for energy improvement in the Basque Country:

• In the last three decades, over €30 million has been allocated to aid for renewable energy.
• A commitment to natural gas has sped up investment and gasification of the region, providing industry with competitive energy prices and high-efficiency industrial technologies. This has been of key importance for competitiveness on global markets, and has helped maintain employment and industrial GDP.
• Thanks to the introduction of natural gas, oil use has dropped from 62% to 43% of consumption in the period, while the use of coal -the energy source with the highest emission rates- he been completely eliminated. Natural gas has also brought universal access to home comfort.
• Renewable energy now meets 7% of Basque energy demand and accounts for the entirety of the region’s self-sufficiency. The Basque government is committed to research in this area, with test centres such as BIMEP and CIC Energigune, generating new industrial opportunities in the energy industry.

More information here