Production of renewables in Catalonia falls: "It has been a very, very, very bad year"

BarcelonaRenewable energy companies, research centers, and professionals are sounding an alarm: "It has been a very, very, very bad year," stated Víctor Cusí, one of the spokespersons for the Observatory of Renewable Energies of Catalonia (OBERCat), during the presentation of the annual report.

In 2025, Catalonia added the equivalent of powering 35,000 families for a year to its green energy generation capacity – comparable to a city like Manresa or Sant Cugat – without considering its economic activity. According to OBERCat, it is necessary to "multiply the renewable implementation figures by practically 10 each year" to achieve renewables covering half of the demand by 2030, as the Generalitat intends.

Green energy production decreased in 2025 by 3.1% — generating 6,940 GWh — while citizen consumption rose by 2.7% — to 45,250.58 GWh —. Consequently, the share of demand met by electricity from renewable energies shrank: it went from 16.2% to 15.3%. According to Red Eléctrica, in Aragon 83% of the generated energy is renewable and in Castilla y León, 94%. However, it is important to consider the total energy produced, against which production is calculated.

The decrease "is mainly explained" by the drop in wind power generation – which fell by 16.8%, covering 5.2% of the demand – which was not offset by the increase in hydroelectric power – accounting for 8.4% of the demand – and solar photovoltaic, which without considering self-consumption, has covered 1.1% of the demand.

In parallel, the import balance soared, making 2025 the third year in which Catalonia has imported more energy from abroad since 1990. In fact, it covered 15.8% of the demand, a larger proportion than that met by renewables. Cusí warned: "It is worrying because it implies greater external dependence and creates problems of energy security and competitiveness."

The projects are there

Despite the warning, Cusí has stressed that Catalonia has "projects in the pipeline to achieve the 2030 objectives", but to move forward they must face "administrative barriers", the lack of qualified professionals and the improvement of networks. "We don't need many more projects, what we need is to implement them," he insisted. They recall that, according to all experts, the decarbonization of industry and transport will increase electricity demand year after year.

In this context, from OBERCat they believe that the administrative simplification project of the government of Salvador Illa is "an opportunity that Catalonia cannot miss". The observatory estimates that the project processing rates in Catalonia are 9 times higher than in Aragon, 20 times higher than in Galicia, and 600 times higher than in Navarra. Regarding deadlines, it places the average for a photovoltaic project at 900 days and for a wind project, around 1,200 days.

Holaluz, an exception?

According to the sector, 'self-consumption "has entered a phase of recession"' after the boost provided by the European Next Generation funds and the increase in energy prices due to the war in Ukraine. In this situation, the renewables industry "has entered a new phase based on larger and more mature projects".

The new scenario has "affected companies in the sector very deeply": "Many have not been able to withstand the fall," stressed Cusí, who considered it a "fully structural adjustment" in a context where renewable investments "continue to be fully profitable". The recession has affected media companies such as Holaluz and SolarProfit up to "energy giants that had business in the residential sector and have completely moved to the industrial sector", also including small installers.

About the possibility that Holaluz loses its license to operate as a marketer, the spokesperson for OBERCat Gorka Martí has also lamented that "it is not a good message for the sector that a company that has been a promoter of self-consumption in Catalonia is closing down", although he has not wished to comment on the Spanish government's proceedings.