The third vice president of the Government and minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, has detailed that the Proposal for the development of the electricity transport network with a horizon of 2030, now in processing, will involve an injection of more than 17,000 million euros, "the largest investment in electrical networks in the history of the country."
From the Congress of Deputies, Aagesen emphasized that this volume of resources represents "30% more than initially proposed and 144% above the current," and stated that it is "the result" of energy policy in a country "of opportunities and of great attractiveness."
As she explained, "these figures are reached because in the previous planning, basically, access requests were focused on renewable generation, while now there is a lot of appetite to electrify: electrifying ports, electrifying industries, new industries that want to position themselves in Spain. We are also talking about the electrification of the housing stock."
The planning submitted for public consultation initially contemplated 13,600 million euros to cover the needs of the system and the objectives of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2023-2030. However, after analyzing the 2,566 objections presented, the expected amount has been revised upwards to exceed 17,000 million.
At the end of July, the Council of Ministers green-lighted a Royal Decree that regulates the investment plans for the transport and distribution networks of electricity, enabling an additional investment of 17,900 million euros in these infrastructures until 2030. The regulation specifies the destination of those funds and sets the procedures for preparing, processing, and justifying the investment plans of the distribution companies.
The current regulations limit the annual investment in electrical networks charged to the system to 0.065% of GDP for transport and 0.13% of GDP for distribution. However, in light of the strong increase in requests, the Executive has decided to gradually raise the investment effort until 2030 to allow projects to materialize.
In the field of distribution networks, which mainly affect Endesa, Iberdrola, Naturgy, and EDP, a maximum of 10,200 million euros in additional funds is authorized: 1,020 million in 2027, 2,550 million in 2028, 3,060 million in 2029, and 3,570 million in 2030.
Regarding the transport networks, whose management corresponds to Red Eléctrica de España (REE), a maximum of 7.700 million euros extra is expected, conditioned on the definitive Planning approved by the Government: 700 million in 2027, 1.850 million in 2028, 2.300 million in 2029, and 2.850 million in 2030.
Demand, the central axis of the new planning
Unlike previous years, demand is at the center of this planning, concentrating 41% of the proposals received, ahead of generation, with 40%, and storage, with 19%.
After the phase of allegations, the positions of the transport network intended to meet new demands in the distribution network have increased by 52% compared to the initial document, reaching 300. The positions for direct consumption in transport have increased by 12%, up to 162, and those planned for railway axes and port electrification have grown by 75%, up to 59.
The number of substations planned has also risen by 17%, up to 193, and the length of the new projected power lines has increased by 11% to 6,706 kilometers. Additionally, there is a 6% increase in the existing repowered networks, reaching 8,164 kilometers.