Spain targets 120 GW of renewable energy capacity in 2030

Wind park in Spain. Author: Santi Villamarín. License: Creative Commons, Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic.

February 25 (Renewables Now) – Spain will aim at 120 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030, primarily wind and solar, the country's national integrated energy and climate plan (NECP 2021-2030) shows.

On Friday, the Spanish government approved the plan proposing that renewables make up 42% of the final energy consumption in 2030.

The plan also targets a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the 1990 levels, a 39.6% improvement in energy efficiency, a 74% share of renewables in the electricity generation and a 22% share of renewables in transport by 2030. Energy storage capacity should grow by an additional 6 GW.

Spain will target a 100% renewables share in the electricity sector by 2050, in line with the climate-neutral strategy set by the European Union.

The proposed technology-specific capacity targets are presented in the table below:

Source/Capacity in MW	2015	2020	2025	2030
Wind	22,925	27,968	40,258	50,258
Solar PV	4,854	8,409	23,404	36,882
Solar thermal	2,300	2,303	4,803	7,303
Hydro	14,104	14,109	14,359	14,609
Biomass	677	877	1,077	1,677

Coal-powered capacity will drop to 0-1,300 MW in 2030 from 4,532 MW estimated in 2025 and 11,311 MW in 2015, the base year.

Nuclear power capacity will decrease abruptly to 3,181 MW in 2030 from 7,399 MW in the base year.

Spain’s total installed capacity is estimated at 157 GW in 2030. Given the significant push for renewables in the 2021-2030 period, the ministry considers auctions will be the principal tool to achieve the targets in the coming decades.

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