From September 2025 through August 2026, Spain obtained more than three-quarters of its electricity from low-carbon sources, while fossil fuels supplied almost a quarter. Solar led the clean electricity mix at about 23% of total electricity, followed by wind at 20%, nuclear at 18%, hydropower at 13%, and biofuels at 2%. Among fossil fuels, gas supplied about 20% and oil around 3%. Spain therefore has a strong low-carbon foundation, although fossil-fuel electricity still contributes to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Spain?

Spain’s electricity consumption per person remains below its historical peak, while low-carbon generation has reached a new record. The latest 2026 consumption figure is about 6,000 kWh per person—roughly 760 kWh, or 11%, below the 2008 record of nearly 6,800 kWh. This comparison does not establish whether consumption rose or fell in the latest year, but it shows that Spain has not regained its previous peak. Low-carbon electricity generation reached about 4,600 kWh per person, edging above the 2025 record by just 19 kWh. That progress is welcome, but its modest scale highlights the need for faster clean electricity growth to support electrification and rising demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

Spain should expand its existing nuclear, wind, and solar generation, building on technologies that already supply substantial amounts of clean electricity. Neighboring France, where nuclear provides about two-thirds of electricity, offers a particularly relevant example of a large nuclear contribution. Denmark, with wind supplying 57%, and nearby Germany, at about 31%, demonstrate the scope for a stronger wind contribution. For solar, the US state of Nevada generates about 35% of its electricity from this source, compared with Spain’s 23%, offering a useful benchmark for a sunny region. Learning from these regions while expanding grid capacity and electricity storage could help Spain grow low-carbon generation and replace fossil-fuel electricity.

History

Spain’s low-carbon electricity history features a major nuclear increase and repeated swings in hydropower generation. Hydropower rose by about 19 TWh in 1977, then fell by roughly 17 TWh in 1980 and 16 TWh in 1989; between those declines, nuclear generation increased by about 12 TWh in 1984. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, hydropower continued to fluctuate, including a 16 TWh gain in 1996 and opposing changes of about 18 TWh in 2002 and 2003. The 2010s brought further large gains in 2010, 2013, and 2018, alongside substantial declines, especially the nearly 19 TWh drop in 2017. More recently, hydropower fell by about 11 TWh in 2022 before increasing by nearly 10 TWh in 2024, while solar delivered an encouraging increase of about 13 TWh in 2023. These changes underline the value of expanding solar, nuclear, and wind together to sustain clean electricity growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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