Resumen de ¿Gas natural, carbón o petróleo? Los determinantes del retraso de la transición energética en el norte de España (1958-1974)
Jesús María Valdaliso Gago, Patricia Suárez Cano, Carlos Alvarado García
This article seeks to shed light on why the energy transition to natural gas in Northern Spain was delayed until the late 1980s. This is addressed by analyzing the failed plans to supply natural gas to the Cantabrian Coast, first via the Franco-Spanish pipeline from Lacq (Southwestern France), and, later, through a regasification plant to be built in Bilbao, in the period 1958–1974. The linking of the Franco-Spanish gas supply networks is a fairly recent achievement, having occurred first with the Calahorra-Lacq pipeline in 1993, and then more recently in 2006 with the Euskadour pipeline. Through the use of a number of documentary sources, found mainly in the archives of Asturias and the Basque Country, as well as an interview with one of the chief figures behind this development, the paper examines the reasons behind the failure of both plans, and the consequences this has had for any further development of the gas industry in this area.
