What is Spain's pathway to limit global warming to 1.5°C?
Current Situation
Emissions profile
2008-2014 saw a decline in Spain greenhouse gas emissions.1 This trend was largely driven by a reduction in the use of coal in electricity generation (replaced by gas and renewables, including wind, solar PV and biomass) and energy efficiency improvements in manufacturing industries and other energy industries.
Within the energy sector, transport is the largest source of emissions (29%), followed by industry (15%) and power (14%).
Transport emissions declined for years after the impact of the global economic recession in 2008 but have been rising again since 2013,2 with a significant drop in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Spain's current GHG emissions
MtCO₂e/yr
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Graph description
Historical emissions per gas and per sector. Last available LULUCF data point from 2019
Data References
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Energy system
In 2019, Spain’s fossil fuels accounted for 72% of the primary energy mix.3 Oil took up a 43% share, most of which was used in the transport sector. While the share of coal in the energy mix fell substantially (–74% between 1990-2019), the share of gas remained high (26%). In 2019, the share of nuclear and renewable energy in primary energy was 13% and 15%, respectively.
Despite Spain’s abundant wind and solar resources, the renewables industry has experienced cycles of growth and decline, largely due to inconsistent government policies. Since 2018, the Sánchez government has abolished the infamous ‘sun-tax’ on solar prosumers and has simplified procedures for installing renewables at the household level.4,5,6
Targets and commitments
Economy-wide targets
Target type
Base year emissions target
National target
- 27% below 1990 by 2030 incl. LULUCF7
- 23% below 1990 by 2030 excl. LULUCF
- 39% below 2005 levels by 2030 for sectors not covered by the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS), incl. buildings, transport, agriculture, waste, fluorinated gases and industry
- 61% below 2005 levels by 2030 for ETS sectors
Market mechanisms
The EU ETS is governed by Law 1/500 of 9 March 2005 and several royal decrees in Spain. The system affects around 900 electricity and industrial installations, as well as 30 aircraft operators. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions subject to EU ETS make up around 40% of the national total. GHG emissions for EU ETS sectors are projected to decline by 61% below 2005 levels in 2030.
Long-term target
Reduce GHG emissions by at least 90% below 1990 levels by 2050.8
Sectoral targets
Energy
- Increase the share of renewable energy in final energy use from 20% in 2020 to 42% by 2030
- 39.5% improvement in energy efficiency by 2030 in line with the European Commission’s PRIMES model (2007) reference scenario projections
Power
- Increase the share of renewable energy in electricity generation mix from 37% in 2019 to 74% by 2030 and 100% by 2050
- Add 59 GW of renewable energy installations from 2021 to 2030, with half coming from solar PV
- Phase out coal completely from the power system by 2030
Buildings
- Renovate 1,200,000 residential buildings by 2030
- Renovate the heating and cooling systems of 300,000 residential buildings per year on average
- For buildings owned and occupied by central government, the intention is to go beyond the 3% annual renovation target enshrined in EU legislation
- Long-term renovation strategy submitted on 15 June 2020
Transport
- Shift 35% of passenger-kilometres from conventional mode to non-emitting forms of transport by 2030
- Increase the share of renewable energy in transport to 28% by 2030 through the uptake of five million electric vehicles in that year and the increased use of advanced biofuels
- Spain aims to reduce emissions by 27 MtCO₂e by 2030 (33% compared to 2017)
Industry
- Achieve a 7 MtCO₂e reduction in emissions associated with fossil fuel combustion by 2030 through fuel switching and efficiency improvements
LULUCF
- 29.1 MtCO₂e could be used between 2021 and 2030
- Emissions may not exceed removals