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Coal in Puerto Santander, traffic dying 'dive'

The goods have experienced a relentless decline in the Cantabrian springs, increased since the opening of the bulk terminal

In theory, the world is engaged in a common and consensual race to replace energy sources. Even the most conservative positions are nuanced in their speeches to highlight the importance of going by replacing energy generation sources (if only because they are finite). That's the theory. The practice is different; U.S. giant Arch Coal extractor collects in its latest annual survey that the world is building power plants at a good pace. Until 2015, 227 are expected to open (20 in Europe, 82 in India, 76 in China, 11 in the USA ...). And the Port of Santander, the largest economic heart of Cantabria, once a key piece in the movement of coal in the north, still fails.

The current period of office of the Port Authority of Santander (APS, Christian Manrique, since 2007) has been especially harmful to the health of this traffic. When Manrique (PSOE) goes to the chair of the figures mark Sotoliva Santander receives 829,000 tonnes a year overseas. A key figure in a pivotal year: 13% for the year in which it exceeded 6 million tons Manrique sets the target to maintain.

Neither the opening of a flagship of the Port infrastructure as solid mineral bulk terminal (early 2008) and his promise of cleaning effectiveness and managed to trace the precipitous drop.

In fact accelerates the serious bump this year. Iberdrola announced in March that it has decided to divert 100,000 tonnes of coal for its power plant Velilla de Río Carrión, Palencia, from Santander port Musel, in Gijón. It will not be the only traffic absorb Musel. Hundreds of thousands of tons of clinker, cars, the motorway of the sea, everything comes at the expense of Asturias Cantabria.

This year President Manrique (appointed on the proposal of the Government of Cantabria) says the Puerto de Santander "is behaving well before the economic crisis." If they think the dolphin and Javier del Olmo's successor, analysts should look for other reason then to explain that last year close with only 285,000 tons of coal.

When it opened, the port said the terminal is capable of discharging 20,000 tonnes per day. That would mean that, in total and referred to coal last year would have worked two weeks. It was advertised as capable of channeling up to three million tons of goods a year.

In September 2008, on a visit to the Port of the press, Manrique claimed to have suffered as a child the problem of powdery carbon emissions in the region of Castilla-Hermida. Understand why he said complaints from neighbors and was glad to have ended with the escape of dust that came up to the windows thanks to the terminal. To follow the current trend terminal will not be necessary because there is no dust retained.

Support: The extension that harms the APS

For the sake of posts work in December, the European Union agreed to extend, exceptionally EU aid to European coal mines deficit. fundamental the decision was the weight in the EU two countries that were for: Spain and Germany . Today is much cheaper to import material countries like Russia or China . And that is dedicated Solid Bulk Minerals (GSM) at the Port.

therefore the fact that the EU hold your breath artificial mines national and intra European makes can weaken imports coal. That does not bode well for medium term (the extension is initially agreed to 2014, but was lengthened to 2018) good news to Santander, its Port and the turning economic which should mean. If EU policies and therefore prices not help, maybe the vacuum can cover only in PHC management.