Spain's CESCE restricts fossil fuel finance, but leaves major gas loopholes
(Price of Oil, Washington, 23 January 2023) Spain has released a new policy for CESCE, the Spanish government export credit agency, restricting public finance for oil and gas. Spain is a major public financier of international fossil fuel projects, providing USD 2.1 billion a year between 2018-20 to fossil fuels, and USD 47 million per year to clean energy, or 97.8% to fossil fuels and just 2.2% to clean energy. Loopholes include support for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) processing, transportation and storage, as well as a widely-defined loophole for gas power that could mean gas power plants could be approved in most developing countries. This policy falls short of a major pledge Spain made at the 2021 COP26 UN climate summit to stop financing fossil fuel projects.