Europe / Caspian / CIS
Country profile: Spain
| Location: | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France |
| Climate: | temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast |
| Terrain: | large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north |
| Size: | 504782 sq. km total (Land area: 499542 sq. km Water area: 5240 sq.km) |
| Population: | 40,491,051 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally |
| Government: | parliamentary monarchy |
| Capital city: | Madrid |
| Legal system: | civil law system, with regional applications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Currency: | euro (EUR) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
Both Spain and Portugal have been members of the European Union (EU) since 1986. EU membership has led to an increased standard of living and economic growth in the Iberian Peninsula and billions of dollars worth of EU structural funds flowing into the two countries. Nevertheless, both countries continue to face economic challenges. Spain's unemployment rate remains stubbornly high, while Portugal has repeatedly exceeded the EU's limits on budget deficits. Economic growth spurred by EU membership has led to increases in energy consumption.
For example, Spain's energy demand has increased over 100 percent since the mid-1970s. The Iberian Peninsula has limited energy resources, so both Spain and Portugal must depend upon imports for the bulk of their energy needs. Attempts to develop domestic energy sources, though, have focused on hydropower and renewables. Both countries have also sought greater integration of the Iberian energy sector through policy coordination and infrastructure projects. The two announced in 2001 that they would create a single Iberian electricity market without limits on transnational ownership or market participation. However, repeated delays have pushed implementation of this market, called Mibel, until October 2007.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 29,350 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 151 million cu m (2005 est.) |
| Consumption: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 30 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | 175,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Imports: | 1 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 31 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Reserves: | 157 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.) | 2 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Major fields: |
Spain - recent news
| 03 Jul 25 |
Spain: Plenitude begins construction of a new 200 MW solar park in Spain Plenitude continues to expand its renewables business in Spain with start of the construction of Entrenúcleos, a new 200 MW photovoltaic project located in the municipalities of Dos Hermanas and Coria del Río, in the province of Seville (Andalusia). |
| 30 Jun 25 |
Spain: BW ESS and Ibersun sign joint venture to develop 2.2GW BESS in Spain Global energy storage owner-operator BW ESS and Getxo-based energy storage developer Ibersun have signed a joint venture to develop, in its first phase, 2.2GW of utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects across Spain. |
| 30 Jun 25 |
Spain: Plenitude announces the start of operation of Renopool in Spain, its largest photovoltaic park Plenitude has started operations at the northern block of its Renopool photovoltaic plant, located, in the municipality of Solana de los Barros, in Badajoz (Extremadura), Spain, with an installed capacity of 130 MW. Once completed and starts operating at the end of 2025, Renopool will be the largest solar park built by the company globally, consisting of seven plants across two blocks with a total installed capacity of 330 MW. |
| 10 Jun 25 |
Spain: Vestas receives 46 MW repowering order in Spain Vestas has announced a 46 MW repowering order in Spain as part of its Q2 order intake. Turbine delivery is expected by Q4 2025 and commissioning is planned for Q2 2026. |
| 04 Jun 25 |
Spain: Greenvolt Group sells wind and solar portfolio in Spain for €195 Million Greenvolt Group has agreed to sell a 231 MW solar and wind portfolio located in Spain through its partnership with Green Mind Ventures to Transiziona, a company owned by White Summit Capital. |
Spain - more news
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