Concern grows about the energy effects of drought. The absence of rain and the sharp drop in Spanish reservoirs are affecting energy production. It was revealed that a hydroelectric power station in Catalonia has permanently halted operations due to water shortage, and the risk remains that more plants could follow. Currently, clean energy generation from hydro sources is down by about half this year, pushing the system to rely more on fossil fuels when they should be kept to a minimum.
The Rialb hydroelectric facility in Lleida stopped all activity on a recent Wednesday at the directive of the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation. Its reservoir sits at under 7 percent of capacity, a dramatic fall from nearly half full just a year ago.
This marks the first shutdown of the Rialb plant since at least 2009, when Acciona began operating the site. The Lleida installation houses two turbines that can generate 24.8 MW and 5.9 MW per day, respectively. The energy that cannot be produced at Rialb will be substituted by other sources as stated by the company.
The Rialb reservoir sits at the location considered worst case for Catalonia. Inland basins managed by the Catalan Water Agency stand at 39 percent of capacity (down from 74.2 percent a year earlier), while those under the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation are at 41.82 percent (down from 66 percent twelve months prior). This trend is echoed across the country and is supported by the latest official data.
Hydropower infrastructure is represented by a number of plants near the Tagus and other major rivers, including facilities pictured as part of the Iberdrola network. The drought has driven reservoirs to perilous levels, with Spain’s overall reservoirs sitting about 20 points below the typical level for this time of year, a figure not seen since 1995. The Guadalquivir Valley registers an especially harsh performance at 22.5 percent capacity.
The shutdown of the Rialb hydroelectric power station offers a preview of potential consequences. The drought scenario poses a serious challenge for facilities producing clean electricity in Spain, with national production dropping to the lowest level in more than three decades according to official statistics.
Hydropower fell by half
Through the current year, Spanish hydroelectric plants have delivered about half the energy they produced in the previous year. Water-resource management for reservoirs has also seen a pronounced decline. In mainland Spain, July 2022 energy output from hydroelectric plants was down by 52.8 percent compared with July 2021. The monthly report from Red Eléctrica Española shows a 49.5 percent drop in the January–July 2022 period versus the same period in 2021.
As a result, gas-fired turbine plants are burning more fuel to compensate for the shortfall, which returns importance to hydrocarbons. Drought therefore affects not only agriculture and water availability but also the production of clean energy.
REE data underscore how essential water in reservoirs is for meeting Spain’s electricity demand. In the preceding year, hydraulic energy accounted for 11.9 percent of the peninsula’s electricity demand, ranking behind wind at 23.9 percent and nuclear at 21.8 percent, highlighting its significance within the energy mix.
Data from Maldita.es indicate that annual hydraulic production could end August at its lowest level since at least 1999. A senior academic notes that the decline in hydroelectric output has been ongoing for months, not just a summer dip. Marcial González, from the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Carlos III University of Madrid and a member of Bendita Energía, comments on the sustained downturn.
Globally, roughly 26 percent of existing hydroelectric dams and 23 percent of projected reservoirs lie in river basins facing moderate to high water scarcity risk, according to a study published in the Journal of 2022. The analysis forecasts that 61 to 74 percent of hydroelectric plants could encounter production issues due to water shortages, painting an alarming picture for energy security.
Experts warn that these conditions may push electricity prices higher in the fall, as hydro facilities typically generate less energy during the hotter months. The result is a lightweight, inexpensive production system that ends up relying more on fossil fuels when parts of the grid are partially offline.
Environment department inquiries suggest ongoing monitoring and assessment of water resources and power generation capacity, with a focus on maintaining electricity supply while managing drought impacts across Spain.
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