Evolution of the demand
Information based on provisional data as of January 2023
The demand for electricity in Spain in 2022 showed a decrease of 2.4 % compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 250,421 GWh.
The demand for electricity in Spain in 2022 showed a decrease of 2.4 % compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 250,421 GWh, very similar to the values recorded in the year of the pandemic. During the first weeks of 2022, before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, expectations pointed to a continuation of the recovery of activity after the pandemic, despite the emergence of disruptions in global supply chains and the increase in the prices of many commodities. The war led to increased uncertainty, with a clear effect on raw material prices, which called into question the forecasts for activity growth. However, subsequently, the good performance of activity has meant that overall activity during the year has been higher than expected.
The demand in the peninsular electricity system, which represents approximately 94 % of total Spanish demand, was 2.9 % lower than the previous year, with a total of 235,459 GWh demanded. This level of demand is lower than that recorded in the year of the pandemic and very similar to that recorded in 2004, 18 years ago.
Evolution of the electricity demand over the last 10 years
Evolución anual del balance de energía eléctrica
GWh
Other renewables: Include biogas, biomass, marine hydro, and geothermal.
Pumped storage: Pure pumped storage + an estimate of mixed pumped storage.
Combined cycle: Includes operation in open-cycle mode.
Peninsula-Balearic Islands link: Positive value: energy input into the system; negative value: energy output from the system.
International exchange balance: Positive value: importer balance; negative value: exporter balance. Increment values are not calculated when exchange balances have different signs..
Evolution of the electricity demand coverage
Monthly evolution of demand at power station busbars
Other renewables: Include biogas, biomass, marine hydro, and geothermal.
Pumped storage: Pure pumped storage + estimate of mixed pumped storage.
Combined cycle: Includes operation in open-cycle mode.
Peninsula-Balearic Islands link: Positive value: energy input into the system; negative value: energy output from the system.
International exchange balance: Positive value: importer balance; negative value: exporter balance.
Generalised decline in all autonomous communities except in the islands, where significant growth has been recorded.
The war in Ukraine has led to a negative variation in demand in most of the autonomous communities; only the islands, due to the relaxation of the measures to combat the pandemic, have recorded fairly positive values: a 9.3 % increase in the Balearic Islands and a 5.7 % in the Canary Islands.
On the peninsular level, only the autonomous communities of Valencia, Catalonia, Madrid, and Navarre have registered slightly positive variations in demand (1.0 %, 0.6 %, 0.2 %, and 0.1 %, respectively), while Ceuta, La Rioja, Andalusia, Castile and Leon, Murcia, and Aragon registered declines below the national average. The rest of the autonomous communities present higher declines, among which are those on the Cantabrian coast, especially Galicia and Cantabria, with the sharpest declines in demand. Cantabria, Asturias, and the Basque Country, some of the autonomous communities with the greatest declines, were the ones with the greatest increases last year, all of them with a strong industrial fabric.
Demand at power station busbars by autonomous communities
GWh
Electricity demand
Final demand: IRE
Electricity demand
Variation and components