With the Network Development Plan 21-26 we are going to develop
and reinforce the electricity infrastructures necessary
for Spain to advance in its
ecological transition and continue to enjoy a safe and quality
electricity supply.
These are #GridsthatbringLife with which we will contribute to mitigating the impact of climate change and to creating employment, wealth and new opportunities in the territories. We have designed them together and for everyone, with a very clear commitment: to protect the environment.
They are #GridsthatbringLife that guarantee a new future for Spain.
A green future
The fight against the climate emergency requires an urgent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and, to achieve this, it is essential to progress towards a decarbonised electricity system.
Through the Network Development Plan 21-26, we will reinforce the existing grid with the new equipment and infrastructure necessary to connect and integrate a new quota of renewable energy sources at the pace set by the National Energy and Climate Plan and thus make it available to consumers.
Thanks to this infrastructure developments, it will be possible to connect 37,000 MW of new renewable energy facilities, so that by 2026, green energy sources will reach a 67% share of the national electricity generation mix. In this way, CO2 eq emissions will be reduced by 66% with respect to those recorded in 2019 (one year before the pandemic), provided that the NECP forecasts are met and this Plan is fully implemented. In 2021, green sources produced 46.7% of the total electricity in Spain.
Did you know that if we do not implement this Plan, 15% of green production will be wasted? On the contrary, with the planned developments, this will be reduced to 4%, in line with European recommendations.
Thanks to this advance in the ecological transition process, in 2026 the CO2 eq emissions of our electricity system will stand at 17 million tonnes of CO2 eq, representing a reduction of 66% compared to figures recorded in 2019.
A connected future
The electricity system to which we aspire must continue to guarantee a secure, continuous and high quality electricity supply for everyone, while incorporating as much green generation as possible.
More specifically, the Network Development Plan 21-26 dedicates 27% of its total investments to the development of actions that will reinforce the reliability of the electricity supply in areas of Spain where it is necessary and strengthen both the link between the transmission grid and the distribution grids and the supply of large industrial demands or railway lines. Specifically, the Plan will enable 13 new railway lines to be supplied and will facilitate the supply of new major consumers.
Similarly, projects such as inter-island links and the reinforcement of the interconnection between the mainland and the Balearic Islands are planned, which will make a decisive contribution to the security of supply in these territories and to meeting their demand.
Finally, this Plan also includes the development of international interconnections, which are essential to continue strengthening the quality and security of our supply, because the larger a system is, the more secure it is. These links with other countries will also contribute to consolidating the integration of Spain into Europe's Internal Electricity Market.
A future
of opportunity
The Network Development Plan will be a catalyst for economic and social progress in Spain, offering a vigorous boost to the necessary post-pandemic recovery process.
The planned investments –totalling 6,964 million euros– will boost economic activity and strengthen the industrial fabric of the regions by activating the sectors associated with the installation of electricity infrastructures. The creation of these new infrastructures will create employment, wealth and new opportunities in the territory. Every ten million euros of investment will generate 15 million euros of industrial activity and increase GDP by six million euros.
On the other hand, all planned investments are aimed at achieving maximum efficiency and economic sustainability and have always been designed with the minimum cost to the consumer in mind. In this way, this development plan as a whole will generate significant savings and efficiencies for the electricity system that will benefit consumers.
Specifically, the initiatives that will be put into service will generate savings of more than 1,600 million euros per year in the electricity system as a whole: 980 million euros on the Spanish mainland, 138 million euros in the Balearic Islands and 325 million euros in the Canary Islands. In addition, the planned interconnections with other countries will generate savings of at least 184 million euros per year, which could reach up to 322 million euros per year.
#GridsthatbringLife
protecting our environment
The planning process was carried out following a rigorous Strategic Environmental Assessment procedure in order to make it sustainable and respectful of the environment. In this way, environmental and territorial conditioning factors have been prioritised in its design, making better use of the existing grid, avoiding the most sensitive areas and reducing investments with an environmental effect on the territory. In fact, only 13% of all the Renewable Energy Sources planned to be connected by 2026 in areas where this is not currently possible will require new transmission substations.
The planning process was carried out following a rigorous Strategic Environmental Assessment procedure in order to make it sustainable and respectful of the environment. In this way, environmental and territorial conditioning factors have been prioritised in its design, making better use of the existing grid, avoiding the most sensitive areas and reducing investments with an environmental effect on the territory. In fact, only 13% of all the Renewable Energy Sources planned to be connected by 2026 in areas where this is not currently possible will require new transmission substations.
#GridsthatbringLife
that we have designed
together and for all of us
#GridsthatbringLife will be grids by everyone for everyone. This Network Development Plan is the result of an exercise in collective responsibility. Public administrations and the different agents of civil society have participated in its preparation, working together with a common goal: to build, together, a useful and valuable grid for everyone. For the first time, the consultation process has been open to all citizens, companies and administrations, whose high level of participation (more than 3,200 claims) has demonstrated the enormous interest of society as a whole in the process of ecological transition.
#GridsthatbringLife will be grids by everyone for everyone. This Network Development Plan is the result of an exercise in collective responsibility. Public administrations and the different agents of civil society have participated in its preparation, working together with a common goal: to build, together, a useful and valuable grid for everyone. For the first time, the consultation process has been open to all citizens, companies and administrations, whose high level of participation (more than 3,200 claims) has demonstrated the enormous interest of society as a whole in the process of ecological transition.