With "e" for Extremadura, a benchmark for energy transition in Spain

Endesa has stated on many occasions that Extremadura is "a benchmark model" for energy transition in Spain and there are many reasons for saying this. To highlight all the work carried out by this region in the field of energy and its contribution to the Spanish electricity system as a whole, it is enough to review the data of recent years.

In this regard, during the last business year Extremadura reached a historic milestone by achieving 99.8% of its energy production free of emissions, compared to the national average of 63.3%. A record in the decarbonisation of the kilowatt that surpassed European countries like France, which are benchmarks in this area and reached 88% in this same year. 

This clean energy balance in the Region of Extremadura is also a net exporter, since regional production is five times higher than domestic demand in Extremadura and accounts for 10% of national supply. This leads us to reflect on its enormous potential to attract investment and industrial projects in search of clean and affordable energy. This differential, which could be 7 times higher than demand by 2025, is acting as a significant attraction for industries related to energy transition, which aim to secure supply chains in Europe, within plans such as REPowerEU and the Green Deal.

The Autonomous Community of Extremadura is also a leader in photovoltaic solar production, representing 27% of capacity and 25% of national photovoltaic generation. In other words, one of every three new MW of photovoltaic power installed in Spain in recent years has been installed in this region. This situation is largely due to excellence when it comes to processing permits and this has enabled this region to incorporate 41% of the total into Spanish renewable capacity. 

As part of this contribution, Endesa has implemented 1.2 GW of new renewable capacity in Extremadura since 2019 and has installed up to 62% of capacity in some years, making the region a strategic geographical hub largely due to the abundance of sunlight. Endesa is currently completing two new projects in the province of Badajoz which, in addition to what has already been installed, would represent a 20% share in the total installed generation capacity in just five years.

But the energy transition should not only be considered from the perspective of decarbonised production. According to Eurelectric , it will be necessary to double investment by 2050 in power lines and their digitalisation to make electrification a driver for the comprehensive decarbonisation of the economy. It is assumed that as a general rule, €0.67 should be invested in the grid for every euro invested in CO2-free generation, a figure that currently does not exceed €0.30. These are regulated activities that will have to increase their commitment to the net-zero emissions target by mid-century.

Our network subsidiary, e-distribución, is the leading distributor in the province of Badajoz, the largest in Spain, where we distribute to a total of 274,000 customers through a 1,159 km 66kV High-Voltage network, 54 sub-stations, a 4,689 km Medium-Voltage network and a 12,811 km Low-Voltage network. 

A modern network, with digitalisation based on 706 remote command systems, currently capable of supplying medium and low voltage power. But the growth that Extremadura is experiencing also needs to receive new 400 kV lines to enable the development of greater potential provided by industrial projects and with high demand for electricity.

During this century we hope to continue building a prosperous region, based not only on its natural resources, but as we now see, based on the opportunity granted by being the leading region in the Spanish energy transition.