Spanish govt approves EUR-6.96bn plan to boost the grid by 2026

The Spanish government on Tuesday approved the 2021-2026 plan for the development of the electricity transmission network in hopes that it will enable renewables to make up for 67% of Spain’s power mix by the end of the planning period and reduce the need for gas-fired generation.

The plan will put to work investments totalling EUR 6.96 billion (USD 7.63bn), said the Spanish ministry for the ecological transition, which submitted the proposal for government approval.

Of the total investment amount, nearly EUR 1.9 billion will go towards the integration of renewables and mitigating technical restrictions that prevent renewables to be absorbed. Almost EUR 1.5 billion will be invested in submarine interconnections with Spain’s non-mainland territories, while EUR 1.26 billion will be spent on building interconnectors with France, Morocco, Portugal and Andorra, the ministry said.

The investment effort will lead to the construction of 2,700 kilometres (1,678 miles) of new lines, 700 kilometres of submarine interconnections and the modernisation of 8,000 kilometres of existing networks.

According the ministry, for the first time in Spain the transmission expansion plan is not motivated by a growth in demand. It derived from Spain’s national energy and climate plan (NECP) and it was drafted to promote power production from renewables and to maximise the use of the existing grid.

In 2021, the renewables share in Spain’s total power production was a record 46.7%, as Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE) calculated recently.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.097)

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