The Energy Transition and Ambition in Spain

Miguel de Cervantes, with Don Quixote and his fight against the windmills, was already reminding us that Spain is a country of renewable energy.

Enel Green Power can now count on a significant presence in the Iberian country, the result of tireless synergistic effort undertaken years ago. Our goal has always been to support the country in its transition to green energy through the decarbonization of its production mix.

The goal of the Madrid government, specifically, is to reduce external energy dependency by 15%, going from today’s 74% to 59% in 2030, with an estimated savings of about 75 billion euro, due to decreased use of fossil fuel sources.

As part of the ambitious Spanish plan, which sees renewable energy as the key to the sustainable development of the planet, Enel Green Power is currently building approximately 900 MW in green energy projects. Of these, about 339 MW are based on solar technology, and the remaining 519 MW will create renewable energy from the strength of the wind.

Overall, EGP is investing roughly 800 million euro in Spain, a commitment that will allow installed power in the country to increase by 52.4%.
 

A Clear Vision of the Future

The Spanish plan for the environment is the most ambitious one presented in Brussels, with total investments of 236 billion euro between 2021 and 2030 and the creation of an estimated 364,000 new jobs in the country.

The plan is in line with our desire to close coal power plants and involves substituting coal capacity with renewable sources, supported by the use of existing gas plants.

Spain is in perfect position to be the leading country for changing environmental policies in Europe. Going beyond the EU’s targets with its “National Plan for Energy and Climate”, it’s showing other countries the urgency of environmental issues and, at the same time, the paths that can be taken.
 

A Key Step Toward Sustainability

To date, Enel Green Power in Spain has been committed to solar and wind technologies.  

The latest plant to make Spain even more sustainable is our Totana photovoltaic plant, in the region of Murcia, connected to the grid on 16 September.

Of the 339 MW of solar photovoltaic energy assigned to EGP in the third 2017 tender for renewable energy organized by the Spanish government, three solar farms – Navalvillar, Valdecaballero and Castilblanco – are under construction, for an installed capacity of 42 MW each.

These go alongside three photovoltaic parks, also in Estremadura – Baylio, Dehesa de los Guadalupes and Furatena a Logrosán, in the province of Cáceres.

In the wind sector, stemming from the 519 MW assigned to EGP, 12 wind farms are under construction in Aragon, for a total capacity of over 400 MW. Once operational, by the end of 2019, the plants will generate a total of about 1,300 GWh a year. The remaining 170 MW of wind capacity will be divided between new plant constructions in Andalusia, Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha and Galicia.

As these examples show, EPG is already fully at work on the energy transition, combining growth and sustainable development through significant projects and innovative solutions with high technological impact, aimed at improving the lives of the community.

A vision that links Enel Green Power to the communities where it works in a synergy that is becoming more and more sustainable.