Preliminary Report 2011

Introduction

Presented within this preliminary report is the provisional statistical data regarding the behaviour of the Spanish electricity system during 2011.

Peninsular system

• Annual demand for electrical energy on the Spanish peninsula, after factoring in seasonal and working patterns, fell 1.2% with respect to the previous year. The figure before factoring in these effects was 2.1 %. This drop in electricity consumption meant that the volume of demand at year end was 255,179 GWh, a value similar to that reached in 2006.
• The yearly maximums for hourly average power demand and daily energy demand were reached on 24 and 25 January with 44,107 MW and 12 January with 884 GWh respectively. Both values were 1.7% and 2.5% lower when compared to the historical maximums recorded in 2007.
• Installed power capacity grew by 1,879 MW, meaning that the total generation capacity at year end was 100,576 MW (1.9% up on the previous year). The large majority of this increase in power (93%) comes from the new renewable facilities, mainly wind power (997 MW) and solar (674 MW).
• Producible hydroelectric energy reached 22,954 GWh, 18% lower than the average historical value and 37% less than that recorded in 2010 (a year which was noteworthy for increased hydraulicity). The hydroelectric reserves in the set of reservoirs as a whole finished the year at 54% of their total capacity, compared to 66% the previous year.
• With regard to the production mix, the majority of the technologies have registered falls in production compared to last year, with significant drops in hydroelectric (28%) and combined cycle (22 %). On the other hand, coal-fired power stations doubled their generation with respect to 2010 and photovoltaic and thermoelectric technologies increased by 26% and 193% respectively.
• Regarding demand coverage, nuclear was at the forefront covering 21% of the demand (22% in 2010), followed by combined cycle providing 19% (23% in 2010). In third place was wind power with16% maintaining the same percentage as the previous year, coal increased its contribution to 15% (8% in 2010) and hydroelectric fell to 11% (16% in 2010). The remaining technologies maintained a contribution similar to that of the previous year.
• As a whole, renewable energies covered 33% of the demand, 3 percentage points down on last year, due mainly to the reduced generation of hydroelectric energy.
• During 2011, the amount of wind recorded (wind factor), or available wind, was notably lower than in 2010, within the relatively narrow margins of variability of this technology in terms of calculating the annual energy produced. This has meant that during 2011 the maximum production values did not reach those levels recorded the previous year. Nevertheless, on 6 November 2011 at 2:00 am, a new record was registered for demand coverage by wind power energy (59% compared to the previous value of 54 %), with an important wind power production coinciding with a low demand and a significant export balance.
• The increase in generation from coal and the lower production by other energy sources (hydroelectric, wind power and nuclear) have given rise to an upturn in CO2 emissions from the electricity sector that has been estimated for 2011 at 73 million tonnes, 25% more than last year.
• The balance of international exchanges was as an exporter, with 6,105 GWh, 27% less than in 2010. This decrease is due to increased imports through the interconnection with France that, after being classed as an exporter for the first time in 2010, have led the net exchange balance for this interconnection to return to that of an importer with a value of 1,189 GWh in 2011.
• With respect to the transmission infrastructures, 1,705 km of circuit were commissioned during 2011, of which 1,446 km correspond to the peninsular system. This increase raises, at year end, the number of kilometres of circuit of the peninsular transmission grid to 37,395 km and the national grid to 40,233 km. Noteworthy amongst the infrastructures commissioned is the 488 km electricity link between the Spanish peninsula and the Balearic Islands. This link is the first submarine transmission interconnection using direct current that exists in Spain.

Extra-peninsular systems

• The annual demand for electrical energy in the extra-peninsular systems maintained the same levels as the previous year, with a joint growth of just 0.1% (Canary Islands grew 1% and Melilla 0.5%, while the Balearic Islands and Ceuta registered a fall of 1.1% and 5.9%, respectively).

Provisional data: year and results based on forescast data. Drafting date: 4 January 2012.