Preliminary Report 2010

Introduction

Presented in this preliminary report is the provisional statistical data regarding the behaviour of the Spanish electricity system during 2010.

Peninsular system

• The demand for electrical energy on the Spanish peninsula finished the year at 259,940 GWh, 3.2% higher than in 2009. Factoring in the effects of seasonal and working patterns, the annual growth was 2.9%, compared to a fall of 4.8% registered in 2009.
• The yearly maximums for hourly average power demand and daily energy demand were reached on 11 January with 44,122 MW and 12 January with 895 GWh respectively. With respect to the summer period, on 19 July a new historical record of an hourly average power of 40,934 MW was reached.
• Installed power in generating facilities showed a net growth of 3,717 MW during 2010, reaching a total of 97,447 MW, representing an increase of 4% compared to the previous year. The majority of this increase comes from combined cycle which had a net growth of 2,154 MW in addition to renewable origin facilities (1,094 MW corresponded to wind and 540 MW to solar energy). Regarding decommissioning, a fuel generation plant with a power of 148 MW was closed.
• One of the most notable events has been the breaking of the trend in dry years which had been registered since 2004. Abundant rainfall registered throughout the majority of 2010 has placed producible hydroelectric at 36.568 GWh, the highest since 1997. This value is 30% higher than the historical average value and 65% above the 2009 figure.
• By year end the water reserves in the reservoirs throughout the peninsula were around 65% of their total capacity, the highest value since 1997 and almost 14 points over the reserves registered at the end of 2009.
• Extremely noteworthy therefore in the production mix figures is the growth of over 59% of hydroelectric generation with respect to the previous year, which has allowed 14% of the 2010 demand to be covered by this technology, compared to 9% in 2009. On the contrary, the groups of coal and combined cycle groups have registered reductions in production of 34% and 17%, respectively, in relation to last year.
• Renewable energies, favoured this year by the high level of reserves of water for hydroelectric power, covered, according to provisional data, 35% of the demand in 2010, six points more than last year. By technologies, in addition to the aforementioned growth experienced by hydroelectric generation, noteworthy again is wind power generation which, with a growth of 18.5% in its generation, increased its share of the demand coverage to 16%.
• Wind power energy surpassed, on several occasions, the previous maximums of instantaneous power, hourly energy and daily energy. 9 November registered the latest daily energy record at 315,258 MWh, a production which allowed 43% of the electricity demand on that day to be covered. Similarly, in February a monthly maximum of wind power energy was registered which covered 21% of the demand of that month. Nevertheless, the variability which is characteristic of this energy has led to extreme situations such as that produced again on 9 November when 54% of the demand was covered by this energy at 3:35 am, whereas on 26 June, at 10:32 am, it barely covered 1%.
• On the other hand, the total potential wind power generation due to strong winds recorded during the first three months of the year forced certain limitations to production to be implemented during some demand valley hours, which has lead to a loss of almost 0.6% of the annual producible.
• The increase of renewable energy generation on the one hand, and the lower production from thermal power plants on the other, have contributed to a reduction of CO2 emissions from the electricity sector which has been estimated at 58.7 million tonnes, 20% less than in 2009.
• The balance of international exchanges was as an exporter, with 8,490 GWh, 4.8% higher than 2009. This increase is mainly due to the complete change in the net exchange balance with France, which now is of exporter as a result not only of an increase of 45% in exports, but also from a decrease of 49% in imports.
• During 2010, 686.3 km of line was commissioned, which meant that at the end of the year the Spanish peninsula transmission grid had circuits totalling 35,797 km. Similarly, transformer capacity increased 2,000 MVA.

Extra-peninsular systems

• The annual demand for electrical energy in extra-peninsular systems on a whole fell 1.3% with respect to the previous year. In the Balearic Islands, the fall was 1.7% and in the Canary Islands it was 1.3%. On the contrary, Ceuta and Melilla registered growths of 3.9% and 2.7% respectively.

Provisional data: year and results based on forescast data. Drafting date: December 21st, 2010.