Installed capacity

Hydro is the third-largest renewable source on the peninsula, coming after wind and solar photovoltaic

Hydro has traditionally been the main renewable source in Spain, until it was overtaken by wind in 2009 and by solar photovoltaic in 2022. It is the third-largest renewable source in terms of installed power capacity, with a total of 17,094 MW at the end of 2022. As can be observed, its power capacity has remained practically unchanged; one has to go back to 2012 to find an increase of more than 1 %. There has been no variation whatsoever in the year 2022. Hydro represents 14.4 % of the total installed power capacity, which places it as the fourth technology behind wind, combined cycle, and solar photovoltaic.

Annual evolution of installed hydropower capacity

By autonomous community, Castile and Leon is the community with the most installed hydropower capacity, with almost 26 % of the total national capacity, given that this region is the exclusive home of the Duero basin, the second most important in the Iberian Peninsula. It is followed by Galicia with almost 22 % of the national total, bringing together a large part of the northern area, which is the most important in terms of installed power capacity and also includes Asturias, Cantabria, and part of the Basque Country.

Five communities account for almost 80 % of the total installed power capacity, including, in addition to those mentioned above, Extremadura, Catalonia, and Aragon.

Installed hydropower capacity at December 31, 2022

Geographical distribution of hydropower facilities on the peninsula at December 31, 2022

Hydropower of each autonomous community as a proportion of national hydropower