Nuclear is Spain´s most used energy to generate electricity for seven years. In the last one, 2017, it represented 22.6%. In total, it generated 55,612 GWh with an installed capacity of 7.2% after the final closure of the Santa María de Garoña plant, which had been inactive since the end of 2012.
These are REE data provided by the Spanish Nuclear Society who in a press release explain that they are the result of the Spanish nuclear power fleet reliability and safety. The fleet has been contributing continuous base electricity to the national network more than 90% of the hours of the year.
According to its president, José Antonio Gago, «nuclear energy is safe, reliable and essential to reach the agreements of climate change preservation and the Spanish nuclear industry, with a nuclear fleet which is in pristine condition, must be present in the framework of the energy transition that we all want. «
The SNE collects REE´s report of the last day of year 2017 which shows that 248,433 GWh were generated in the peninsular system whose origin was: 22.6% in nuclear generation (55,612 GWh), followed by wind energy with 19.3% (47,485 GWh) and an installed capacity of 23%.
In fact, during the month of December 2017, wind energy was the first technology in our electricity generation system (24.3%) and the second technology during the year (19.2%). In 2017, the 23 GW of wind produced more than 47 TWh, which accounted for 19.2% of the electricity consumed nationwide in the year.
Nuclear is our most used energy
Following wind was coal-based production that accounted for 17.3% (42,596 GWh) with an installed capacity of 9.6%, while combined cycles with 13.8% (33,902 GWh) and installed capacity of 25.1% followed.
Then the cogeneration with 11.5% (28,146 GWh) and an installed capacity of 6.4%; hydro 7.3%, (20,571 GWh) and an installed capacity of 20.5%; solar PV 3.2%, (7,964 GWh) and an installed capacity of 4.5%; solar thermal 2.2%, (5,359 GWh) and an electric installed power of 2.3%; other renewables 1.5%, (3.613 GWh) and an electric installed power of 0.7%; waste 1.3%, (3,184 GWh) and an electric installed power of 0.7%.
