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Mobility Portal, Spain
Date: October 8, 2024
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By Ailén Pedrotti
Spain
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aelēc: “Responsible Declaration must be extended to all necessary investments for a charging point to function”

Marina Serrano, President of the Association of Electric Energy Companies (AELEC), discusses with Mobility Portal Europe the “urgent need” to apply common criteria across administrations in order to streamline the implementation of eMobility projects. Here, an exclusive one-on-one interview.

In March 2023, the long-awaited “Responsible Declaration” was officially published in Spain’s Official Gazette (BOE), aimed at easing and speeding up the procedures for setting up charging points across the country.

At first glance, the formula seems ideal, but in practice, it’s a bit more complex, as acknowledged by Marina Serrano, President of the Association of Electric Energy Companies (aelēc).

The guidelines indicate that this alternative “exempts the obligation to elevate the contract to public status and the accreditation of ownership of the main installation.”

This applies as long as the installation has direct access to a state-owned road or in any other case where it occupies public property.

Does it make things easier? Partly, yes, but there’s more to it.

Responsible Declaration model

The lack of awareness of the measure by local administrations is currently complicating the process.

However, this is not the only bureaucratic step to overcome when planning an eMobility charging project.

“The Government has progressed by replacing authorisation with the Responsible Declaration. However, it still needs to extend this to all necessary investments for the charging point to work,” remarked the representative of electric companies.

On this point, she adds:

“This should especially apply to processes related to grid extension, such as connections and transformers. That would be ideal.”

Marina Serrano (aelēc)

In an exclusive conversation with Mobility Portal Europe, Marina Serrano delves deeper into these aspects.

Here’s the one-on-one with aelēc:

What should be prioritised when thinking about easing bureaucratic processes?

We need to ensure a consistent approach across regional governments and local councils regarding the building permits.

Why?

In some cases, the Responsible Declaration has replaced the permits, but many councils do not acknowledge it.

It’s essential for all involved administrations, both local and regional, to apply the same criteria.

Would a “one-stop shop” be the solution?

It would be ideal to have a national “one-stop shop” or at least standardise the procedures.

If centralisation isn’t possible, all councils must understand that authorisation can be replaced with the Responsible Declaration, and regional governments should apply it too.

But, is it being partially implemented?

It is already being applied under the State Road Law, but many regional and local roads still don’t comply with this measure.

Additionally, power availability for charging is another important challenge that needs to be addressed.

Marina Serrano (aelēc) at the CEVE 2024

Power availability is drawing attention, as is the information needed to move forward with a project…

The creation of a unified platform to standardise information and make the process more transparent is underway, and we hope it will be approved soon.

So far, each distributor had its own system to present the information. Now the aim is to make it uniform and transparent.

Moreover, in the workflow for electric charging infrastructures, distributors are already working to clarify and standardise what was missing.

With all these bureaucratic challenges, does aelēc see a risk of Spain losing investment opportunities?

We believe Spain is very attractive for decarbonisation. We have land, sun, wind, and a more competitive energy price than other European countries.

We’re also working with several ministries, such as the Ministry of Economy, Transport, and Ecological Transition, to develop a suitable framework for mobility.

But…

It’s important to monitor the taxation on electricity so that it’s not more advantageous to use hydrocarbons that emit pollutants.

What would the ideal scenario be for aelēc?

Currently, electricity is taxed with the electricity tax, the tax on electricity production, and VAT.

We need to analyse and rethink this structure to send a clear decarbonisation signal and ensure that electricity is competitively priced compared to other energy sources that cause emissions.

Should we continue playing the chicken-and-egg game? Should charging points come before vehicles, or how should it work?

The infrastructure must be ready before the truck or any other vehicle needing a charge arrives. The problem is that, until now, we could only make investments that were authorised.

Is this changing from aelēc’s perspective?

The market design reform approved by the European Union introduces the concept of anticipatory investments, which allow networks to be prepared for new needs.

We are working to define what qualifies as an anticipatory investment and ensure this is reflected in regulation and remuneration.

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