Spain’s Renewable Power Drive Faces Test After Blackout and Nuclear Debate
- Rahaman Hadisur
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Hadisur Rahman, JadeTimes Staff
H. Rahman is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Business
Towering wind turbines on the plains of Aragón have come to symbolise Spain’s rapid shift toward renewable energy, a transition now powering more than half of the country’s electricity supply. In the small town of Figueruelas, that transformation is taking tangible form with the construction of a €4bn electric vehicle battery factory backed by China’s CATL and carmaker Stellantis.
Local officials say the area’s abundance of wind and sunshine made it an obvious choice. “Renewable energy will be crucial for generating electricity for the new factory,” said Figueruelas mayor Luis Bertol Moreno, calling the project a turning point for the town and a validation of Spain’s green energy strategy.
Spain has dramatically expanded renewable generation in recent years.
While renewables accounted for just one-third of electricity production in 2017, they reached 57% last year. The government aims to raise that figure to 81% by 2030, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez championing the shift as both economically and environmentally beneficial.
However, Spain’s energy model has come under intense scrutiny following a major blackout on April 28 that left large parts of Spain and neighbouring Portugal without power for several hours. With investigations ongoing and no definitive explanation yet released, opposition parties have questioned whether heavy reliance on renewables may have contributed to the outage.
The government and grid operator Red Eléctrica have rejected that claim. Grid operations chief Concha Sánchez said Spain has previously managed higher renewable shares without jeopardising system security, adding that the blackout was caused by a combination of technical issues, including unexplained voltage oscillations.
The incident has reignited debate over Spain’s plan to phase out nuclear power between 2027 and 2035. Nuclear energy currently provides about 20% of the country’s electricity, and industry representatives argue it offers stable, low-carbon power when wind and solar output fluctuate. Opposition parties, including the far-right Vox, have echoed calls to reconsider the closures.
Spain now finds itself at an energy crossroads, balancing its ambitious renewable goals with concerns over grid stability, storage capacity, and political uncertainty as pressure mounts for a reassessment of its long-term energy mix.
