The president of the Biscayan refinery, Emiliano López Atxurra, supports the words of the CEO of Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz, and criticizes the tax on energy companies because “oil and gas is being penalized.”
Eider Garaikoetxea O. | EITB Media
The president of Petronor, Emiliano López AtxurraHE has reaffirmed in the notice which was made last week by the CEO of Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz, who warned the Spanish Government that it would condition its investments in Spain if it maintained the tax on energy companies. According to López Atxurra, Imaz only moved an established position on the company’s board of directors, of which he is also a part.
As explained in an interview given to the “Boulevard” program on Radio Euskadi, Repsol has “business commitmentthat is, he has never said that he is going to leave Spain, but there is also “a warning that if there is no stable and predictable regulatory framework, logically investments have to remain in stand by“.
With respect to the investments in Petronorhas confirmed that those referring to synthetic fuel and ‘green’ hydrogen of 2.5 and 10 megawatts are “consolidated”, but not those necessary to build the future industrial synthetic fuel plant – a factory is now being built demo in the Port of Bilbao—and the 100 megawatt hydrogen plant associated with the refinery.
López Atxurra considers that the benefits of energy “are not benefits that fell from the skysince they are regulated.” As specified, Petronor has paid 5 billion euros to the Biscayan and state treasuries in taxes in the period 2019-2022. However, it has criticized the special tax because “it is penalizing the oil and gas“, which he recalled, has as its objective 0 net emissions. Thus, he believes that the background of the tax has more “ideological than technical” basis, and denounces that it is acting based on “prejudices.”
Finally, when asked about his preference between a Sánchez government or the electoral repetitionthe president of Petronor has assured that companies need “stability and broad political consensus” to be able to continue making investments and setting strategies in energy matters, which is why he has stressed that he is committed to “anyone who is capable of generating a broad consensus.”
Source: Eitb
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