Spain records 50.4% renewables share for 2023

An Iberdrola wind farm in Spain. Image source: Ibedrola Espana (www.iberdrolaespana.com)

Spain generated 50.4% of its electricity from renewables during 2023, with annual production exceeding 50% for the first time, Spanish power grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE) said on Thursday, based on provisional data.

This achievement set new records in both the share of renewables in the generation mix and the total output, which approached 135,000 GWh.

Renewables accounted for 54.6% of the power generation mix in December, pumping out a total of 12,354 GWh, according to REE’s latest provisional figures. This volume represented a 24.6% increase compared to the same period the previous year.

Wind power was the leading technology for the third consecutive month, accounting for 26.2% of the December generation mix.

Hydro power ranked third with 18.3% of the national total. The share of solar photovoltaic energy was 8.2% in December, down from an estimated 9.1% a month earlier.

Production details for major technologies are presented in the table:

Technology:	Estimated generation in GWh:	y/y change:	Share in December:	Share in 2023:
Wind	5,913	6.0%	26.2%	23.5%
Hydro	4,138	50.4%	18.3%	9.5%
Solar PV	1,858	64.1%	8.2%	14.0%
Solar CSP	99	65.2%	0.4%	1.8%
Renewable waste	76	4.1%	0.3%	0.3%
Other renewables	270	-16.0%	1.2%	1.4%
Nuclear	4,989	-3.3%	22.1%	20.3%
Cogeneration	1,181	7.5%	5.2%	6.5%
Combined-cycle gas	3,040	-30.4%	13.4%	17.2%
Coal	220	68.3%	1.0%	1.5%

Spain’s gross demand for electricity was estimated at 21,125 GWh in December, up by 4.1% year-on-year. Adjusted for the effects of working hours and temperatures, demand rose by 3.8% on the year.

During 2023, Spain’s gross demand for electricity dropped by 2.3% to 244,686 GWh. In adjusted terms, demand fell by 1.9% compared to 2022.

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