Spain raises ambitions in new 2030 NECP - more emission cuts, wind, solar

Solar park in Spain. Author: Som Energia Cooperativa. License: Creative Commons. Attribution 2.0 Generic

Spain will pursue a 23% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) compared to 1990 levels and a 28% share of renewables in transport by 2030, two targets that have been raised in the latest update of the country’s National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 (NECP).

The draft NECP announced in February 2019 targeted a 20% cut in GHG emissions and a 22% renewables share through electrification in transport.

The proposed wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity has also been increased in the updated version compared to the draft NECP, but the combination of all renewables still leads to just over 120 GW of total installed capacity by the end of the decade.

This capacity will translate into a 74% renewables share in electricity generation, the same proportion contemplated in 2019. The targeted 42% share of renewables in the final energy consumption and a 39.5% improvement in energy efficiency have also been kept.

These goals should set Spain on track to achieve a 90% reduction in gross GHG emissions compared to 1990 by 2050. By then, Spain’s power system is expected to operate on 100% renewable energy.

The Spanish government sent the updated NECP 2021-2030 to the European Commission at the end of March, the ministry for ecological transition then announced. Some aspects of the Plan may be modified in the future since the ministry had to suspend the ongoing public consultation process on the update when Spain’s state of emergency was declared in mid-March in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proposed capacity growth as it stands now is presented in the table below:

Source/Capacity in MW	2015	2025	2030	2030 targets as outlined in draft NECP 2019
Wind (on- and offshore)	22,925	40,633	50,333	50,258
Solar PV	4,854	21,713	39,181	36,882
Solar thermal	2,300	4,803	7,303	7,303
Hydro	14,104	14,359	14,609	14,609
Biomass	677	815	1,408	1,677
Total installed across all technologies:	107,173	133,802	160,837	156,965

Given that new 59 GW of renewable power capacity is in the plans for the next decade, the ministry for ecological transition believes that installations of mature technologies can continue to be supported by competitive auctions.

Public funding mechanisms will be adapted for technologies that have not reached maturity, such as marine energy or offshore wind, or those that have to installed in specific regions or Spain's extra-peninsular territories, the text of the new NECP reads.

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