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19 March 2026
Does Spain rely on imports to meet its electricity demand?
Spain is becoming steadily less dependent on foreign sources to meet its electricity demand: in 2024, renewables led the way with 56.8%, nuclear remained stable at 20%, and the country once again recorded an export surplus, although it continues to import gas and nuclear fuel to guarantee backup power.
Does Spain rely on energy imports?
Spain still depends on foreign sources for a portion of the energy it consumes, but its electricity is predominantly of internal origin: it is all produced within our country, even though a portion of it comes from combined cycle power plants that run on imported gas.
When we talk about 'energy dependence', we usually think of massive ships carrying imported natural gas or oil.
However, if we focus solely on electricity generation, the answer is far more nuanced and encouraging than for the energy system as a whole.
According to the 2024 Spanish Energy Balance published by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO), Spanish electricity generation comes primarily from renewable sources (wind, solar, hydro) and nuclear. All of these are technologies whose generation takes place within the country, while also generating emissions-free electricity.
Although the report assesses primary energy, its breakdown reveals a clear trend: Spanish electricity generation is increasingly less dependent on raw materials from abroad because it relies primarily on renewable and nuclear sources, which are generated inside the country.
Why is Spain increasingly less reliant on imported fuels?
Spain is leaning less and less on imported energy raw materials. Data from the national grid operator, Red Eléctrica de España (REE), shows that 2024 was a record year:
Renewable electricity generation grew by 10.3% to reach 148,999 GWh and accounted for 56.8% of the national mix (59.0% on the peninsula), driven by a rebound in hydropower (+35.5%) and solar photovoltaic (+18.8%).
Adding to this is the stability provided by nuclear energy, which serves as both internal production and an emissions-free source of electricity generation.
The result is an electricity system with a predominantly national base, underpinned mainly by renewables and nuclear, even if a portion of the generation uses imported fuels.
In 2024, Spain exported more electricity than it imported for the third consecutive year: 25,808 GWh exported compared to 15,631 GWh imported (a surplus of +10,177 GWh).
With an annual demand of 248,811 GWh, this means that 94% of the electricity consumed in Spain was of national origin.
Maintenance work on power grids.
Does Spain still need to import fossil fuels?
Spain still needs to import fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, so that combined cycle power plants can cover demand peaks or compensate for the variability of renewables.
This guarantees system stability during times of low wind, low hydropower, or high demand.
MITECO data shows that Spain's overall energy dependence was 68.4% in 2024, one of the lowest figures since 2020. However, this figure includes all types of energy, not just electricity. When we focus solely on electricity, the picture is different:
- Wind, solar, and hydro provide an ever-growing percentage and do not require imported raw materials.
- Nuclear, while requiring uranium (which is imported), generates electricity continuously within the country.
- Gas, on the other hand, is an imported fuel.
Regarding end-use energy consumption, nearly two-thirds still rely on imported fossil fuels, particularly oil for transport and natural gas for industry, buildings, and services.
For this reason, one of the great challenges for the Spanish energy system is to advance the electrification of these end uses, progressively replacing fossil fuels with increasingly renewable and decarbonised electricity.
The value of reducing reliance on imports
Reports from the IDAE, which compile official data from 1990 to 2024, confirm that the trend towards an electricity mix based on national resources is robust.
This growing weight of national production has three key implications:
Lower geopolitical vulnerability
Renewable energies are not exposed to international tensions or raw material price volatility. Their expansion reduces the impact of global crises, such as those experienced in 2022 with Russian gas.
Greater electricity price stability
Because they do not depend on imported fuels, the marginal cost of renewables is low and stable. When they dominate the mix, they exert downward pressure on the electricity market.
Security of supply
Technological diversification – wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, and combined cycle plants as backup – makes the system more resilient to unforeseen events.
Spanish electricity: among the least dependent in Europe
Data from the Bank of Spain reinforces this view: although Spain is one of the European countries with the highest energy dependence across its entire system, its electricity has gradually 'decoupled' from gas, coal, and oil, whose presence in the generation mix is steadily shrinking.
According to comparable data from Eurostat/ENTSOE and REE, renewable electricity reached 56.8% in Spain in 2024 (REE), compared to an average of 48.4% across ENTSOE countries, meaning the share of low-carbon generation (renewables + nuclear) sits above the European average, bringing Spain closer to its decarbonisation targets.
Envatios solar photovoltaic plant (Seville).
So... does Spain depend on other countries for its electricity?
The answer is: increasingly less.
Yes, Spain continues to import natural gas and uranium, and both play a part in the electricity generated.
But no, Spain does not depend on foreign sources for the majority of its electricity generation, thanks to the enormous weight of renewables and the constant contribution of nuclear power.
Clean, national, and stable electricity in Spain
Spain remains an energy-dependent country, but increasingly less so when it comes to electricity.
The combination of renewables, hydropower, and nuclear means that the majority of electricity generation is of internal origin, and the trend points towards growing self-sufficiency.
In a global context marked by energy market volatility, this evolution places Spain in a favourable strategic position: a country that still imports fuels, but whose electricity relies more and more on clean, national, and stable resources.