Spain plans to produce 50% of its energy from renewable sources in 2023.

According to data from Red Electrica Espanola (REE), electricity production from renewable energy sources reached approximately 135,000 GW/h last year, equivalent to 50.4% of the total national energy mix. This figure is eight percentage points higher than the 42.2% achieved in 2022, the first time Spain has exceeded the 50% renewable energy threshold, REE said in a statement.

Wind power was the main source of energy for the second consecutive year, producing 63,000 GWh (23.3% of Spain's total electricity). And solar energy generated 37,000 GWh, or 14% of total electricity, much higher than hydropower's 9.5%," the report states.

Indicators of nuclear power generation remained stable at 20.3% of total production, while gas-fired power production fell by 7 points during this period, accounting for 17.2%. "These figures are indisputable evidence that Spain's green transition is steadily progressing," Beatriz Corredor, head of REE's parent company Redeia, said in a statement.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government has pledged to increase the share of renewable energy to 74 percent of Spain's total electricity production by 2030, an achievable goal given the country's abundance of sunlight and wind. As a result, large-scale solar power installation and wind power generation projects are increasing due to massive investment, especially in sparsely populated northern and central regions.

These figures make Spain one of the leaders in Europe in terms of renewable energy sources. Germany also published preliminary data in mid-December showing that electricity generation from renewable energy sources exceeded 50% of total energy output for the first time in 2023.