Non renewable electricity generation

Structure of non-renewable energy generation by type of power plant and autonomous community

Utilisation rate of peninsular thermal power plants

Electricity generation from coal-fired power plants on the Peninsula recorded a historic low in 2024

In the Spanish electricity system, electricity generation from coal-fired power plants in 2024 fell by 24.4% compared to the previous year, maintaining its reduced presence in the mix, with a share of only 1.2% of total national generation.

In 2024, coal-fired plants on the Peninsula generated 2,972 GWh, which is 24.4% less than the previous year. This year marks the historical minimum since statistical records began. Throughout every month of 2024, except for November and December, monthly coal-fired electricity generation was lower than in the same months of the previous year, with March seeing the steepest monthly decline, with a drop of 50.8%. In addition, January, March, April, May, June, July, and August recorded the lowest monthly coal-fired monthly electricity generation rates to date for each of these months.

The decarbonisation targets set by the European Union to reduce CO2 emissions have meant that coal-fired electricity generation, which is more polluting than other technologies, remains a small part of the energy mix, registering an all-time low share of 1.2% of total generation in 2024.

The utilisation rate (the ratio between actual electricity generation and the maximum electricity generation that the power plants could have achieved by operating at their rated power during the entire time they were available) of peninsular coal-fired power plants in 2024 stood at 23.4%, down from 27.8% the previous year.

In the Balearic Islands, the shutdown of reactors 1 and 2 of the Alcudia power plant and the limitation of the operating hours of reactors 3 and 4 meant that in 2024, coal-fired generation fell by 23.6% compared to the previous year, and it only took place in the months of May, June, and July.

In 2024, combined cycle was the fourth largest source of national generation

In line with total non-renewable energy generation, in 2024, electricity generation from combined cycle plants in the Spanish electricity system dropped by 23.4% compared to the previous year, ranking fourth in the national generation mix, with a share of 13.6% of the total, 4.1 percentage points less than in 2023.

In 2024, electricity generation from combined cycle plants on the Peninsula was 27.0% lower than in 2023, with the greatest declines recorded during the third and fourth quarters of the year. Throughout almost every month of 2024 (except for January, November, and December), monthly electricity generation from combined cycle plants on the Peninsula was lower than in the same period of the previous year, with June seeing the steepest monthly decline, with a drop of 60.1%.

The lower rate of annual electricity generation from combined cycle plants on the Peninsula resulted in a 4.3 percentage points decrease in their representation in the energy mix, reaching a share of 11.7% in the peninsular structure in 2024, compared to 16.0% in 2023.

The utilisation rate of peninsular combined cycle generation in 2024 was 16.9% (22.2% in 2023).

In 2024, the combined cycle power plants of the Balearic Islands electricity system generated 2,912,716 MWh, 5.6% less than in 2023. For the fifth consecutive year, this technology represented the main source of generation in the Balearic Islands mix, with a share of 65.0% in the electricity generation structure.

In the Canary Islands electricity system, combined cycle power plants produced 0.6% more in 2024 than in 2023, reaching an all-time high of 3,735,543 MWh. Furthermore, combined cycle power plants were once again, and for the fourteenth consecutive year, the leading technology in the Canary Islands generation mix, with a share of 42.0%. In November 2024, electricity generation from combined cycle power plants reached the highest value ever recorded to date, with 391,607 MWh.

Among non-renewable energy technologies, nuclear generated a total of 52,391 GWh in 2024, 4.1% less than the previous year. In March, nuclear generation fell by 31.6% and in April, it dropped by 23.3% due to the unavailability of the Almaraz 2 power plant for refuelling work from 3 April to 6 May, Vandellós 2 for inspection and refuelling work from 27 April to 3 June, and Trillo from 11 May to 16 June. In November, nuclear electricity generation decreased by 4.0%, and in December, by 15.2% due to the unavailability of the Almaraz 1 and Ascó 1 power plants, which underwent refuelling from October until 17 December.

In 2024, nuclear power plants were the second-largest source of electricity generation on the Peninsula, with a share of 21.1% of the peninsular generation mix, a slightly lower share than in 2023, when it also ranked second with 21.9%. During September, nuclear power was the leading technology in the peninsular generation mix, with a share of 24.9%.

The utilisation rate was 94.9%, lower than in 2023, when it was 97.1%.

2024 saw a historic low in CO₂ equivalent emissions from national electricity generation.

During 2024, there was a decrease in CO2 equivalent emissions from national electricity generation, reaching 27.0 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, the lowest value on record, which is 16.8% lower than 2023, and 75.7% lower than the emissions recorded in 2007.

The increase in renewable energy generation in the national electricity system in 2024 favoured a lower use of technologies based on fossil fuels, especially coal-fired and combined cycle plants, which explains the reduction in CO₂ equivalent emissions from with these technologies by 24.4% and 22.2%, respectively.

CO₂ emissions and CO₂ equivalent emission factors associated with electricity generation