Energy sector in Spain - statistics & facts

Spain has been historically characterized by its scarcity of fossil fuels. The country relies significantly on external energy sources. According to the latest Eurostat data, the dependency rate on energy imports in Spain was roughly 69 percent in 2021. This means that the country imported over two-thirds of the total primary energy consumed, while only 31 percent came from domestic energy sources. Despite the renewable energy boom, hydrocarbons remain vital to the country's economy. Natural gas and petroleum represented approximately 65 percent of the primary energy consumption in 2021. Regarding the final energy consumption, petroleum products had a share of 48.1 percent, whereas natural gas stood at 18.5 percent.

Electricity sector

In 2021, the consumption of electricity in Spain stood at 256 terawatt-hours. 2020 registered the lowest electricity consumption in the last years, a result that can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. With regard to the electricity mix, combined cycle power plants generated the most electricity in 2022, closely followed by wind. Wind energy also had the largest power capacity installed in the country, with almost 30 gigawatts.

Renewable energy

Renewable energy consumption in Spain reached 0.97 exajoules in 2021. The electricity generated with renewable energy sources exceeded 42 percent of the total production in 2022. Of these sources, wind energy had a share of 52 percent, although solar photovoltaic energy has been the fastest-growing technology in the last years. In 2022, the installed photovoltaic capacity rose to 19 gigawatts, an increase of over 25 percent when compared with the previous year. At a regional level, Castille and Leon is the leading autonomous community in the production of clean energy in Spain.

Nuclear energy

Currently, there are five active nuclear power plants in Spain. In 2021, its seven working reactors generated around 57 TWh. At the end of 2018, the amount of irradiated uranium stored in Spanish nuclear power plants amounted to approximately five thousand tons, while the amount of solid nuclear waste generated stood at 609 cubic meters in 2021.

Fossil fuels

The use of fossil fuel energy in Spain is decreasing in favor of cleaner alternatives. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, all coal mines were closed at the end of 2018, and coal-fired power plants are being phased out. Electricity generated with coal represented only 2.8 percent in 2022. The consumption of natural gas and petroleum products has also seen a moderate decrease.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Lucía Fernández, Mar 10, 2023

Key insights

Primary energy consumption
5.76 EJ
Primary consumption of renewables
1.04 EJ
Primary energy intensity
104.7 toe per million euros
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Renewable energy consumption in Spain from 2009 to 2022 (in exajoules)

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