GENERATION 2023
Total electricity generation
Information based on provisional data as of January 2024
In 2023, Spain has experienced a 3.5 % decrease in electricity generation compared to the previous year, after two continuous years of increasing figures, with a growth of 3.4 % in 2021 and 6.3 % in 2022.
In this context, electricity generation in the mainland system, which represents around 95 % of total national generation, was reduced by 3.4 % in 2023, standing at 253,095 GWh. The most significant variations with respect to the previous year were recorded by coal and combined cycle power generation, which dropped by 50.4 % and 35.1 %, respectively, while hydro power generation rose by 41.1 % and solar photovoltaic by 34.0 %.
Electricity generation in the non-mainland systems (13,712 GWh) decreased by 4.6 % with respect to the previous year, with a notable 26.5 % decrease in production from other renewables. In contrast, cogeneration production increased by 50.5 % in comparison with that of the previous year.
The Balearic Islands saw the largest increase in electricity generation
After two consecutive years of growth, electricity production in the Balearic Islands system has dropped in 2023, reaching 4,573 GWh, 15.9 % less than in the previous year. This is the highest reduction in production of all domestic electricity systems in 2023.
Electricity production in the Canary Islands electricity system has increased for the third consecutive year, with a growth of 2.5 % over the previous year, reaching 8,750 GWh.
In contrast, production in Ceuta fell for the fifth year in a row, by 4.5 %, while in Melilla it grew by 2.8 %, after four consecutive years of decline.
National electricity generation
GWh - %
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. The Canary Islands electricity system uses diesel as its main fuel.
Annual evolution of renewable energy generation
In terms of generation by type of energy in the national electricity system, renewable energies have increased their production by 15.1 % in 2023, achieving a record high of 134,321 GWh. This increase is mainly attributable to increased hydro and solar photovoltaic production, which grew by 41.1 % and 33.8 %, respectively. During 2023, the share of renewable production in the national mix was predominant for the first time in history, with a share of 50.3 %, compared to 42.2 % in 2022. Correspondingly, the share of non-renewable energy sources stood at 46.5 % (57.8 % in 2022).
Evolution of renewable and non-renewable generation
In 2023, domestic CO2 equiv. emission-free generation increased by 9.2 %, reaching a new all-time high of 188,597 GWh. Its share in the production mix reached 72.1 %, compared to 63.3 % in 2022.
Evolution of generation with or without CO2 eqiv. emissions
The progress of the autonomous communities towards the goal of the ecological transition continues
Among the most relevant aspects of electricity generation by autonomous communities in 2023, the following should be highlighted:
- In 2023, Andalusia was the second largest producer of electricity in the national electricity system, accounting for 12.0 % of the total. Production from renewable technologies reached 57.1 % of the mix in Andalusia (45.9 % in 2022), with a total of 18,229 GWh, 9.1 % more than in 2022, ranking as the third largest producer of green GWh in 2023, only behind Castile and Leon and Castile-La Mancha.
- Aragon is the second autonomous community in which the share of renewable generation dominates the regional mix, with 81.8 % of its production in 2023 coming from renewable resources, this is the highest value in record. Wind power accounted for 54.0 %, making Aragon the region with the highest proportion of wind power generation in its electricity mix.
- In Asturias, renewable generation increased by 20.5 % in 2023 compared to the previous year, as a result of the 59.3 % increase in hydro power production. Conversely, there was a decrease in coal and combined cycle production, of 42.4 % and 34.4 %, respectively.
- In 2023, Castile-La Mancha has become the second largest renewable energy producer in Spain, accounting for 14.2 % of all green energy produced in the national electricity system. In this region, 66.5 % of the energy generated came from renewable sources, with wind power, which generated 9,018 GWh, being the leading technology and accounting for 31.5 % of the electricity generated. Solar photovoltaic increased its production by 42.3 % compared to 2022, and thus remains the second autonomous community with the highest solar photovoltaic production, with a share of 22.8 % of the national total.
- Castile and Leon continues to be the largest producer of renewable energy among all autonomous communities: 23,271 GWh accounting for 88.7 % of the region's total production. Its coverage in the mix is the highest in Spain in 2023, which consolidates Castile and Leon's leadership in renewable energies in the country.
In 2023, wind power was the leading technology in the generation mix of Castile and Leon, having contributed over half of the production mix (51.7 %). Thanks to this volume, it remains the largest producer of electricity from wind power (13,553 GWh). - Catalonia was the community that generated the most in 2023, with 14.3 % of the total production of the Spanish electricity system. Nuclear is the leading technology in the Catalan mix, with a share of 58.5 %.
- Extremadura continues to be the leader in solar photovoltaic generation in 2023, with a production of 9,167 GWh, representing 30.8 % of the national total. This brings the share of green energies to 45.1 % in this autonomous community, 6.3 percentage points higher than in 2022.
- In 2023, Galicia generated 75.3 % from renewable sources, with wind power as the first source of generation with 38.1 %. Hydro power production has doubled in this region, amounting to 35.0 % of the mix, a record high since records began.
- Madrid is the autonomous community where solar photovoltaic generation experienced the greatest increase in 2023, as it grew by 80.6 % compared to the previous year, reaching a share of 15.4 % of the generation mix, the highest value on record.
- Renewables in the Balearic Islands in 2023 produced 28.0 % more than in 2022 and beat their annual record for green energy with 519 GWh, achieving a 11.4 % share of the total. Solar photovoltaic generation is the renewable technology that has increased the most, registering 42.5 % more than in the previous year and surpassing the historical record of annual production, also reaching the highest participation in the Balearic generation mix, with a 8.4 % share.
- In the Canary Islands, solar photovoltaic generation achieved an all-time high of 344 GWh of annual production in 2023, which meant that this technology accounted for 3.9 % of the total.
Map of generation by autonomous communities
Pumped storage: 5,195,297 MWh.
Nuclear: 54,276,126 MWh.
Coal: 3,871,025 MWh.
Fuel + Gas: -0 MWh.
Diesel engines: 2,511,259 MWh.
Gas turbine: 754,444 MWh.
Steam turbine: 1,217,650 MWh.
Combined cycle: 46,050,505 MWh.
Hydro-wind: 17,477 MWh.
Wind: 62,568,604 MWh.
Solar photovoltaic: 37,331,732 MWh.
Solar thermal: 3,589,872 MWh.
Other renewables: 4,656,294 MWh.
Cogeneration: 17,290,955 MWh.
Non-renewable waste: 1,318,509 MWh.
Renewable waste: 846,040 MWh.
Total generation: 266,806,784 MWh.
Production structure by power station type and by autonomous communities
Solar: Includes solar photovoltaic and solar thermal.
Renewable and non-renewable production percentage by autonomous communities
Non-renewables: pumped storage, nuclear, coal, fuel/gas, combined cycle, cogeneration, and non-renewable waste.
Electricity generation
Installed capacity
Electricity generation
Renewable electricity generation