FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Spain Power Demand Rises 2.4% in August as Renewables Gain Share

By

Spain's electricity demand rose 2.4% in August from a year ago after adjusting for temperatures and working patterns, while renewable energy generation increased 11%, Red Electrica said on Friday.

Red Electrica said that gross electricity demand reached 23,14 gigawatt-hours last month, up 3.7% from August 2025. For the first eight months of 2026, the grid operator said that demand rose 2.8% year-over-year to 175,86 GWh, or 1.7% when adjusted for weather and working-day effects.

Self-consumption facilities, including rooftop solar installations, are forecasted to have generated around 1,600 GWh in August.

Renewable sources produced 13,64 GWh during the month, accounting for 53.6% of Spain's electricity generation and marking an 11% increase from a year earlier.

Solar photovoltaic generation led the country's power mix for a fifth consecutive month, accounting for 29.2% of total generation after output jumped 27.5% to 7,445 GWh.

Red Electrica said that solar generation also reached a new daily record on Aug. 5, producing 281.2 GWh.

Combined-cycle gas plants were the second-largest source of electricity generation in August, with a 20.7% share, followed by nuclear power at 18.6%, wind at 13.3% and hydropower at 6.9%.

Generation from sources free of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions accounted for 72.2% of the total in August, up 8.2% in volume from a year earlier.

The grid operator said that including estimated production from self-consumption installations, renewables accounted for 55.1% of Spain's electricity mix during the month.

Red Electrica said 954 GWh of renewable electricity was integrated into the grid through battery storage and pumped hydro facilities in August, helping to make greater use of renewable generation.

Meanwhile, electricity demand in the Balearic Islands rose 15.4% in August after adjusting for temperatures and working patterns. Gross demand reached 850,67 megawatt-hours, up 16.4% from the same month last year.

Red Electrica said for the first eight months of 2026, demand in the Balearics increased 6.4% year-on-year to 4.61 million MWh.

Combined-cycle gas plants accounted for 63% of electricity generation in the islands in August, followed by diesel engines at 11.3% and solar photovoltaic generation at 10.6%.

Renewable generation in the Balearics increased 20.6% year-on-year, giving renewables a 13% share of the islands' generation mix. The undersea link between mainland Spain and Mallorca supplied 23.5% of the Balearic Islands' electricity demand during the month.

Electricity demand in the Canary Islands rose 1.9% in August after adjusting for temperatures and working patterns. Red Electrica said gross demand jumped 3.1% to 843,145 MWh.

Demand in the archipelago reached 5.99 million MWh in the first eight months of 2026, up 1.6% from the same period last year.

Related Articles

Commodities

US Natural Gas Update: Futures Fall on Ample Supplies as Storage Build Meets Expectations

US natural gas futures trimmed some losses in after-hours trading Thursday after weekly storage data broadly met expectations, while strong production and a well-supplied market continued to weigh on prices.The front-month Henry Hub contract and the continuous contract both fell by 1.05% to $2.925 per million British thermal units.Futures briefly traded above $3.00/MMBtu in overnight trading before retreating ahead of the release of the US Energy Information Administration's weekly storage report.The EIA reported a 30 billion cubic feet injection into underground storage for the week ended Aug. 28, broadly in line with market expectations. Prices fell sharply following the report, reaching $2.885/MMBtu before partially recovering.The latest build was well below the 45 Bcf injection recorded during the same week last year and the five-year average of 37 Bcf, leaving the underlying storage picture relatively supportive despite the immediate price decline, Gelber & Associates said.Working gas in storage stood at 3,214 Bcf as of Aug. 28, down 50 Bcf, or 1.8%, from year-earlier levels and 160 Bcf, or 5.2%, above the five-year average, EIA said.Pinebrook Energy Advisors said the surplus to the five-year average had narrowed to 160 Bcf from 198 Bcf, while the deficit versus 2025 had widened to 50 Bcf from 12 Bcf as of July 31.The smaller-than-normal injection was attributed to elevated demand amid persistent high temperatures across the southern and central US.Weather is expected to remain supportive for demand through mid-September, NRG Energy said, with above-normal temperatures forecast across much of the Midwest, Plains and eastern half of the country. Heat intensity is expected to moderate gradually toward the latter part of the outlook.Total demand for Thursday declined 0.5 Bcf/d to 110.9 Bcf/d, driven by lower power burn demand despite broader late-summer warmth, NRG said.LNG feedgas demand also strengthened, led by higher flows to Sabine Pass and Golden Pass, Aegis Hedging said. Sabine Pass feedgas volumes increased by 306 million cubic feet per day to 4.19 Bcf/d, while Golden Pass flows rose by 290 MMcf/d to 566 MMcf/d. Overall LNG feedgas demand remained firm at around 19.1 Bcf/d, Gelber & Associates said.Average gas flows to the nine major US LNG export plants increased to 18.3 Bcf/d in early September from 17.2 Bcf/d in August, Trading Economics said, as Cheniere Energy's Corpus Christi facility and Freeport LNG in Texas returned to full operations following maintenance.US LNG exports rose 23% in the first half of 2026 from a year earlier, their fastest rate of growth since 2016, as new terminals and expansions increased export capacity, RBC Capital Markets analysts said.Golden Pass LNG has continued an uneven ramp-up that began in the spring, while the seventh and final train of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 project reached substantial completion Aug. 28.Those developments are expected to lift total US LNG export capacity to around 20 Bcf/d by the end of 2026, RBC said.Meanwhile, US natural gas production has rose to 111.8 Bcf/d, with expanded Permian takeaway capacity allowing more West Texas supply to reach downstream markets, Gelber & Associates said. NRG data showed dry gas production increased 0.9 Bcf/d to 110.2 Bcf/d Thursday.Trading Economics said Lower 48 production averaged a record 111.5 Bcf/d in August, up from 110.7 Bcf/d in July, and that rising output is keeping the market well supplied and limiting the upside potential for prices.

Commodities

US Power Update: Prices Mostly Higher Thursday Afternoon as Natural Gas Leads Generation

US wholesale electricity prices were mostly higher Thursday afternoon, with natural gas leading generation in most markets while solar dominated California output, according to data from GridStatus.io.Electric Reliability Council of Texas' real-time locational marginal price stood at $43.39 per megawatt-hour at 4 p.m. ET. Net load was 52.47 gigawatts, with natural gas providing the largest share of the generation mix at 45.7%.California Independent System Operator's real-time LMP came in at $41.93/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load turned negative, hitting -0.65 GW, with solar leading the generation mix at 69.7%.Southwest Power Pool's real-time LMP was $37.85/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load totaled 45.97 GW, with natural gas accounting for the largest share of the generation mix at 41.6%. Prices surged to an intraday high of $254.11/MWh at 9:30 a.m. ET.PJM Interconnection's real-time LMP reached $62/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load stood at 130.56 GW, with gas supplying the largest share of the generation mix at 43.1%. Prices climbed to an intraday high of $123.29/MWh at 3:15 p.m. ET.Midcontinent Independent System Operator's real-time LMP came to $41.74/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load totaled 88.45 GW, with natural gas making up the largest share of the generation mix at 33%.New York Independent System Operator's real-time LMP was $65.76/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load was 22.61 GW, with dual fuel accounting for the largest share of the generation mix at 33.8%.ISO New England's real-time LMP stood at $48.21/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load totaled 14.82 GW, with natural gas leading the generation mix at 56.4%.Independent Electricity System Operator's real-time LMP was $184.56/MWh at 4 p.m. ET. Net load was 21.93 GW at 3:55 p.m. ET, with nuclear accounting for the largest share of the generation mix at 40.5%. Prices reached an intraday high of $191.04/MWh at 4:05 p.m. ET.The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center forecasts temperatures to remain above normal across much of the central and eastern US from Sep. 11 to Sep. 17, with near-normal readings across much of the West.

Commodities

US Exports of Soybean Oil, Biodiesel Up in July, Ethanol Drops, US Census Bureau Says

US soybean oil and biodiesel exports rose in July compared to June, while ethanol exports fell, the US Census Bureau reported on Thursday.In July, ethanol exports totaled 199.5 million gallons, down from 206.1 million gallons in June and up from 169.4 million gallons a year ago. Canada was the biggest buyer of US ethanol, followed by the Netherlands, Vietnam, the UK, and South Korea.US biodiesel exports totaled 35,517 metric tons in July, up from 34,507 mt in June and down from 43,232 a year ago. Shipments of biodiesel went mostly to Canada, Peru, Germany, Indonesia, and the Czech Republic.US soybean oil exports totaled 9,784 mt in July, up from 9,319 mt in June and down sharply from 29,102 mt a year ago. Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Panama, and the Bahamas were the biggest buyers.