From October 2025 through September 2026, roughly three-quarters of Spain’s electricity came from low-carbon sources, while about a quarter came from fossil fuels. Solar supplied about 23% of electricity, wind 20%, nuclear 18%, hydropower 13%, and biofuels 2%. Gas dominated fossil electricity at about 20% of the overall mix, with oil contributing another 3%. Spain therefore has a predominantly clean electricity supply, although replacing the remaining fossil generation would further reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Spain?

Spain’s latest figures show a small increase in clean electricity per person, but overall electricity consumption remains well below its historical peak. In 2026, consumption was about 6,050 kWh per person, roughly 740 kWh, or 11%, below the 2008 record of about 6,790 kWh. Low-carbon generation, by contrast, reached a new high of approximately 4,600 kWh per person, edging past the 2025 record by 24 kWh. That clean electricity milestone is encouraging, but its modest growth and the gap below peak consumption underline the need for greater electricity supply to support electrification and expanding AI demand. These per-person comparisons alone do not establish whether total national consumption is currently growing.

Suggestions

Spain can build on its established strengths by expanding nuclear, wind, and solar electricity generation, alongside the grid connections and storage needed to deliver more clean electricity. Neighboring France, where nuclear supplies 67% of electricity, offers a particularly relevant example of nuclear’s potential contribution; Spain should consider extending existing nuclear generation and adding capacity. For wind, Denmark’s 59% share and the United Kingdom’s 30% demonstrate scope to go beyond Spain’s current 20%. For solar, North Macedonia’s 40% share and the US state of Nevada’s 35% provide useful reference points for increasing Spain’s already substantial solar contribution. Together, these examples support an ambitious expansion of Spain’s diverse low-carbon electricity supply.

History

Spain’s low-carbon electricity history combines major nuclear and solar gains with pronounced swings in hydropower. Hydro generation rose by nearly 19 TWh in 1977, then fell by about 17 TWh in 1980 and 16 TWh in 1989; meanwhile, nuclear delivered a substantial 12 TWh increase in 1984. During the 1990s and 2000s, hydro continued to fluctuate, with gains of roughly 12–18 TWh in 1996, 2001, and 2003, alongside declines of about 10–18 TWh in 1999, 2002, and 2005. The 2010s brought further hydro increases of around 16–17 TWh in 2010, 2013, and 2018, interspersed with sizeable declines, including nearly 19 TWh in 2017. More recently, hydro fell by about 11 TWh in 2022 before adding almost 10 TWh in 2024, while solar achieved an especially encouraging increase of nearly 13 TWh in 2023.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.