WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

4.3.11 Spain
European Small Hydropower Association, Stream Map
Key facts
Population 47,042,984
Area 505,370 km 2 . 1
Climate Temperate; clear, hot summers in
interior, more moderate and cloudy
along coast; cloudy, cold winters in
interior, partly cloudy and cool along
coast
Topography Large, flat to dissected plateau
surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees
Rain
pattern
Electricity sector overview
The total net electricity production in Spain was 280
TWh in 2011, of which approximately 6 TWh was
exported and 3 TWh was used for pumped hydro. The
domestic demand was about 270 TWh. 2 The electricity
mix is shown in figure 1.
Bio
Fuel/Gas
Solar
Other
Hydro
Wind
Coal
CCGT
Nuclear
2%
3%
3%
11%
11%
15%
16%
19%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in Spain
Source: Red Electrica de Espana 2
20%
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
In 2010, Spain had 1,047 small hydropower plants and
a total installed capacity of 1,926 MW generating
4,719 GWh (figure 2). By 2020, the aim is to have
1,100 plants with a total installed capacity of 2,185
MW (6,280 GWh). 3
SHP installed
capacity
SHP potential
Mountains in north
Average annual precipitation is 650
mm. In ‘wet’ Spain as a whole this
rises to around 1,000 mm, in semiarid
areas 300 mm.
1926 MW
2185 MW
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in Spain
The average small hydropower growth over the last
10 years had barely reached 2.1 per cent annually, this
translates into a capacity increase of 36 MW per year
on average. Growth was low due to a series of barriers
that have virtually paralyzed the sector. The previous
Renewable Energies Plan (PER) 2005-2010 set out for
small hydropower sector to achieve a total installed
capacity of 2,199 MW by 2010. This was not achieved
for plants under 10 MW by 2010.
Renewable energy policy
In 1981, the first Royal Decree was approved,
establishing fixed tariffs for small hydropower and
thereby, paving the way for the Special Regime for
electricity production based on renewable energies
introduced in the mid-1990s. Besides, the
development of small hydropower laid the ground for
the involvement of the banking sector regarding
financing renewables in Spain. i
Legislation on small hydropower
There is currently no regulation published concerning
the residual flow. A recommendation could be made
in the sense that this flow should be variable during
the year, to enable a better adjustment to the
differences of the natural hydrological regime and to
the spawning seasons.
There are two different support options (following the
current promotion scheme as established through the
Royal Decree 661/2007), a feed-in tariff (FIT) and a
market premium with a cap and a floor, on the sum of
market price and premium.
Plants with a rated power less than 10 MW as well as
those with a rated power greater than 10 MW (but
less than 50 MW) are considered small-scale
hydropower plants. However, on 27 January 2012, the
Spanish Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree-
Law ‘temporarily’ suspending the FIT pre-allocation
procedures and removing economic incentives for
new power generation capacity involving
cogeneration and renewable energy sources (RES-E).
Barriers to small hydropower development
In Spain, it takes an average of six years to obtain the
permits for construction and operation, and there are
numerous requests for hydropower concessions
pending for longer time, some reaching 20 years. This
is mainly because of the lack of coordination between
the different authorities responsible for the permit
procedures.
Furthermore, there is an increasing number of
administrative and economic barriers for small
hydropower through new preconditions for
participating in the electricity market, such as the
management of deviations, rules regarding the ride
through of voltage dips and new flow measurement
systems. In addition, there is an increase of existing
taxes, as building permits to introduce the
electromechanical elements of the small hydropower
plants, as well as new taxes and fees for the existence
of reservoirs and later a qualified (real) property tax
(IBI), royalties, land value taxes. Likewise, there is a
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