Spain's climate draft proposes 100% renewable power generation by 2050

The Spanish government has unveiled a draft energy and climate plan (Plan Nacional Integrado de Energía y Clima) which aims to cover 70% of domestic power generation with renewables by 2030 (up from 23% in 2017) and 100% by 2050. By 2030, Spain targets 35% of renewables in final energy consumption and a 35% improvement in energy efficiency compared to the EU baseline. Efforts will focus on rehabilitating the housing stocks (at least 100,000 renovations per year between 2021 and 2030) and a long-term strategy for building energy rehabilitation will be approved to include aid and funding for vulnerable households.



The draft climate plan also proposes to stop issuing oil and gas exploration licenses, ban fracking and scrap new fossil fuel subsidies. It also proposes to prohibit the sale of diesel, gasoline and hybrid cars as of 2040. The government will promote biomethane and other biofuels (including for air transport). In addition, at least 20% of the national budget would be earmarked for climate action and a Committee on Climate Change and Energy Transition should be created.



These objectives will help the country reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% by 2030 and as much as 90% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. Since GHG emissions are currently 17% above their 1990 level, this would translate into a 37% cut in emissions by 2020.



If the draft becomes a law, this would mean that Spain's national objectives would outstrip the targets adopted under the EU’s clean energy package as it wants to meet a 35% binding target for both renewable power generation and energy efficiency: earlier in 2018, the European Parliament and the Commission agreed that member states would have to contribute to an EU-wide objective of 32% for renewable based power generation and 32.5% for energy efficiency uptake by 2030.