Demand evolution
Information based on provisional data from 8 April, 2022
The demand for electricity in Spain during 2021 showed an increase of 2.6 % compared to the previous year, reaching a total demand of 256,482 GWh.
The demand for electricity in Spain during 2021 showed an increase of 2.6 % compared to the previous year, reaching a total demand of 256,482 GWh impacted by the prolonged effects of the COVID-19 crisis in 2021, which meant that the pre-pandemic values have not yet been recovered. In this regard, it would be necessary to add two new conditioning factors that, directly or indirectly influenced by the evolution of the pandemic, could have also affected the evolution of the activity, such as the disruptions in the supply chain of intermediate products and the rise in the price of raw materials.
The evolution of the peninsular electricity system, which represents slightly more than 94 % of total Spanish demand, was 2.4 % higher than the previous year, with a total demand of 242,492 GWh. This demand is at similar levels to those recorded 16 years ago in 2005, although similar values were also recorded in 2014 during the period of the strongest depression due to the crisis that began in 2009.
Evolution of the peninsular electricity demand over the last 10 years
Other renewables: Includes biogas, biomass, marine energy and geothermal.
Pumped storage: Pure pumped storage + mixed pumped storage estimate.
Combined cycle: Includes operation in open cycle mode.
Spanish peninsula - Balearic Islands link: Positive value: incoming energy; negative value: outgoing energy.
Positive value: incoming energy. Negative value: outgoing energy.
Evolution of the electricity demand coverage
Combined cycle: Includes operation in open cycle mode.
Auxiliary generation: Emergency generator units installed temporarily in specific zones to cover a deficit in generation.
Spanish peninsula - Balearic Islands link: Balearic-Peninsula link working at the technical security minimum until 08/31/2021.
Monthly evolution of the demand as measured at power station busbars
Other renewables: Includes biogas, biomass, marine energy and geothermal.
Pumped storage: Pure pumped storage + mixed pumped storage estimate.
Combined cycle: Includes operation in open cycle mode.
Spanish peninsula - Balearic Islands link: Positive value: incoming energy; negative value: outgoing energy.
Positive value: incoming energy. Negative value: outgoing energy.
All autonomous communities, except Ceuta and Melilla, showed an overall increase in demand
The ongoing effects of the pandemic during 2021 led to an increase in demand in the majority of the autonomous communities, although lower than the average growth in Spain as a whole, with the exception of Ceuta and Melilla, which showed a negative variation.
On the mainland, the exceptions that caused the growth in demand to be somewhat higher were registered in the Basque Country 6.5 %; Asturias 6.1 %; Navarra 4.3 % and the Community of Valencia 4 %, autonomous communities that in 2020 had higher than average falls. In the non-peninsular systems, noteworthy was growth in the Balearic Islands which reached 11.9 %, although it must be taken into account that the initial impact of the pandemic during 2020 in these islands was much higher, with a decrease of 19.2 % in that year.
Electricity demand by autonomous communities and variation year-on-year
GWh
Electricity demand
Final demand: IRE
Electricity demand
Variation and components