In the midst of the debate on European strategic autonomy, it turns out that Catalonia is a heavily energy-dependent country. According to data from a 2024 PwC report, Catalonia generated 37.4 TWh of electricity and consumed 44.1 TWh, a 15% increase. And the trend is for this deficit to worsen over time. Why? For two main reasons. First, no matter how much Catalonia has increased its renewable energy production capacity in recent years, it is not enough to keep pace with the electrification of the Catalan economy. And second, because most of Catalonia's electricity production comes from nuclear power plants that are expected to close between 2030 and 2035.
Leaving aside the debate about whether or not the lifespan of nuclear power plants will need to be extended for a longer period of time, it is clear that Catalonia will continue to be deficient and will need to continue to provide significant energy in the future. To meet the demand of an industrialized society with a strong tourism sector like Catalonia's, there are only two solutions: either significantly increase the capacity of renewable energy, with the environmental and landscape impact this can have, or source electricity from other places, such as Aragon, which has recently specialized in wind and solar power. This second option entails building high-voltage lines to transport energy (with the consequent impact) and also infrastructure to allow for its storage, a pending issue in Catalonia.
The commitment to renewable energy must be maintained and even increased, at least until reaching production levels similar to those of other Spanish territories, but for now, it seems impossible to imagine a Catalonia that is completely self-sufficient with clean energy. Experts even warn that with the closure of nuclear plants, it may be necessary to use combined-cycle plants for a while, which consume gas and are polluting (unlike nuclear plants).
This dual dependence, on nuclear energy on the one hand and on electricity produced outside the country on the other, is the scenario we must work towards for the future. As Professor Andreu Mas-Colell has already commented, there is no problem in making Aragon our electricity supplier if we consider this to be the best option available. But at the very least, there should be a debate and an educational campaign for citizens to explain where the electricity they use to turn on their switches every day comes from. If it now comes from the Vandellòs and Ascó nuclear plants, in the future it will come from the wind or solar fields of Monegros.
However, what cannot happen is that, due to a planning error, the economic development of Catalonia is jeopardized. It's up to the authorities to decide what the Catalan mix should look like in 10 years, without nuclear power, and to build the necessary infrastructure to ensure there are no supply problems. Because there's no reason to believe we'll consume less in the future; on the contrary.
