Renewable energy generation has stalled in the Valencian Community while it surges elsewhere in Spain. Administrative blocking of four hundred Valencian parks is taking a toll on green power production. In 2023, the Valencian Community recorded a modest 1.1% increase in solar photovoltaic capacity, the only renewable sector to grow, compared with much larger gains in Castile-La Mancha (49.2%) and Andalusia (27.8%). The regional government is moving forward with a new renewables law that was expected weeks ago but remains unsettled.
Renewable energy accounted for 54.9% of Spain’s electricity demand in 2023, marking a historic high, according to the first report from theRenewables Observatory of the Sella Forum, drawing on data from the system operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE). Specifically, renewables delivered a record 134,315 GWh to the grid, up 15.1% from the previous year and 37.2% higher than in 2019.
The primary drivers of green energy growth in 2023 were solar photovoltaic expansion, which boosted output by 33.8% to a new peak of 37,328 GWh, and hydroelectric power, which rose 41% thanks to rainfall recoveries in several regions. The largest increases in renewable generation occurred in Extremadura (31.9%), the Balearic Islands (28%), Galicia (23.9%), Asturias (20.5%), Castile-La Mancha (20.3%), and Aragon (18.9%).
Oposición municipal
However, the Valencian Community is falling behind due to administrative paralysis and the resistance of Compromís to renewables development during the two Botànic legislatures. The government led by the Popular Party, Carlos Mazón, has struggled to overcome opposition from several municipalities, such as Elche. Compared with 2019, the biggest renewable production gains in Spain occurred in Extremadura (187.7%), Aragon (119.4%), the Balearics (89.7%), Castile-La Mancha (56.9%), and Murcia (51%). By contrast, six regions recorded lower renewable generation than four years earlier: La Rioja (-21.5%), the Basque Country (-21.1%), Catalonia (-17.2%), Cantabria (-10.7%), Asturias (-6.7%), and the Valencian Community (-6.2%).
6.000 MW
The regional administration in Valencia is processing renewable projects totaling more than 6,000 MW, yet last year installed capacity rose by only 23 MW (1.1%), all in solar. The installed capacity has scarcely changed since 2019, when it stood at 2,262 MW and reached 2,400 MW in 2023. Marcos J. Lacruz, head of the Valencian renewables association Avaesen, notes that production has fallen because the region has little solar capacity (453 MW by the end of 2023) and only modest wind power (about 1,243 MW). When wind is scarce, output drops. “The rest of Spain moves forward while we stay stuck,” Lacruz laments.
The energy picture in Valencia mirrors a broader national trend where bottlenecks at the regional level slow adaptation to cheaper, abundant renewables. The unfolding situation has prompted calls for streamlined permitting, clearer timelines, and greater local collaboration to unlock latent capacity and attract investment in green power that benefits the entire economy.
Cofrentes
The Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant, if its scheduled shutdown proceeds as planned, will close in November 2030. Last year it supplied 44.7% of Valencia’s energy while renewable plants contributed 19.4% (a gap of 36 percentage points with the national average). The Sella Forum’s analysis, conducted by Opina 360, emphasizes that some regions like Extremadura and Aragon have leveraged renewables as a competitive advantage, producing cheap energy to attract industrial projects.