SPANISH ENERGY PLANNING TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

There is a growing awareness among all countries and their decision ma kers, regardless of economic and industrial development, that the envi ronment must be protected, leading towards a sustainable future. This is especially important in the energy sector-which is the principal fa ctor in economic and industrial development-since the primary energy s ources of today, fossil fuels, are the main culprits of global environ mental problems, such as the greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, acid rains and pollution. Industrial countries, being greater consume rs of fossil fuels, are affected to a greater extent by their environm ental harms. Consequently, these countries are leading the way in envi ronmental protection measures. The European Union, the second largest industrial grouping in the world, has become one of the leaders in tak ing important measures in the energy sector to curb the harmful emissi ons over the years. Spain, a member of the European Union, has initiat ed planning to reduce the pollutants produced by the energy sources an d bring them in line with the European Union efforts, while keeping up the country's economic development. This paper reports the efforts an d planning of Spain through the year 2010 to comply with the European Union environmental regulations on one hand and to sustain economic de velopment on the other. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.