The Spanish government launched an investigation after discovering that a power company drained two reservoirs during heat waves and droughts to profit from unusually high electricity prices.
Iberdrola, the country’s second largest producer, drained dams in the western provinces of Zamora and Cáceres Spain Cheap hydropower is produced within a few weeks, while consumer prices are at record highs.
Air conditioners and fans in Spain are almost out of power Still in the heat. It records its Highest temperature on Saturday, 47.2C (117F), in Cordoba, Andalusia.
The Minister of Ecological Transformation Teresa Ribera described Iberdrola’s actions as shameful and has written to the company.
“This cannot be allowed to happen,” she said in a TV interview. “Water is a scarce resource, and it is as important to the well-being of households and the economy as power generation.”
Ribera said she believes Iberdrola’s actions are irresponsible, but they are not illegal because the company can use a fixed amount of water every year whenever it needs it, regardless of climatic conditions.
“This is legal but unreasonable, which is why we need to intervene as soon as possible,” she said.
Both reservoirs are far away from the sea and are very suitable for swimming and boating, especially in the hot summer. According to Javier Aguado, the mayor of San Sebrian de Castro, one of the affected villages, they are now a desert.
In another, San Pedro de la Nave-Almendra, the water level is very low, the pump that draws drinking water is blocked by mud, and the filter must be cleaned twice a day.
Electricity price is Spain Since power generators bid for their market share based on expected demand, they are fixed daily through effective auctions.
The base price is determined by the cost of renewable energy such as nuclear and wind and solar because they are the cheapest, and then the rest-hydropower and fossil fuel generators-are bid on.
The net effect is that the higher the demand, the higher the price, and volatility makes it almost impossible for consumers to budget for their electricity bills.
Draining the reservoir to speed up hydropower production allowed Iberdrola to bid for a bigger cake.
As the heat wave is expected to continue for a few more days, the temperature in most parts of the country will be between 30 and 44 degrees.
Passengers who took the Albacete to Córdoba train on Friday, after spending 4.5 hours at 45 degrees Celsius without air conditioning, demanded a refund from the national railway company Renfe.
In Barcelona, The zookeeper is feeding ice cream to gorillas and chimpanzees Cool them down.
