The energy sector in Castilla y León is closely related to the production of electricity.
In the past this generation of electricity was associated with the use of national coal, currently Castilla y León is the first region of Spain in production through renewable energy.
The organization or basic structure of the Spanish electricity sector is divided into four types of companies for each of the following activities: generation, transport, distribution and marketing.
Of these four divisions, there are three organizations that "move" electrons through the electrical network: generation, transport and distribution. The fourth type of organization that completes the current basic structure of the Spanish electricity sector is the marketer.
Generation of electric power
To produce electricity it is necessary to transform, through different technologies, a certain primary energy (thermal, wind, hydraulic, solar, etc.) into electrical energy. We can find different technologies to generate electricity: non-renewable using coal, natural gas, from nuclear energy or through renewable sources such as wind, hydro and solar energy.
The difference between renewable and non-renewable sources is as follows:
Technology |
Castilla y León |
Spain |
% del total |
---|---|---|---|
Hydraulics |
4.399 |
20.351 |
22 |
Nuclear |
455 (*) |
7.573 |
6 |
Coal |
2.595 |
10.936 |
24 |
Fuel / gas |
0 |
2.490 |
- |
Combined cycle (natural gas) |
0 |
26.670 |
- |
Hidro/wind |
0 |
11 |
- |
Wind |
5.652 |
23.020 |
25 |
Solar photovoltaic |
494 |
4.655 |
11 |
Solar thermal |
0 |
2.300 |
- |
Other renewable |
46 |
748 |
6 |
Co-generation |
641 |
6.714 |
10 |
Waste |
0 |
754 |
- |
Total 2015 |
14.282 |
106.224 |
13 |
Table: Installed electrical capacity in Castilla y León. Year 2015. Installed power (MW).
(*) No production since 2013
Source: Power notebooks. The energy in Castilla y León. EREN, Junta de Castilla y León
Generation of electrical energy from renewable sources in Castilla y León
Castilla y León is the first region in the production of electricity through renewable sources, thanks mainly to wind energy and hydropower.
Coal thermal power station | Polulation | Province | Company | Power (MW) | Groups |
Number of workers (March 2018) | Requested Closing |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Velilla | Velilla del Rio Carrión (near Guardo) | Palencia | Iberdrola Generación S.A. |
614 |
2 |
84 |
Yes |
La Robla | La Robla | León | Gas Natural Fenosa Generación S.L. |
655 |
2 |
86 |
No |
Compostilla | Cubillos del Sil (near Ponferrada) | León | Endesa Generación S.A. |
1309 |
4 |
218 |
Possible |
Anllares | Páramo del Sil | León | Gas Natural Fenosa Generación S.L. (66%) y Endesa Generación S.A. (33%) |
347 |
1 |
72 |
Yes |
Tabla: Coal-fired power plants in Castilla y León
Source: Own elaboration based on data from the second quarter of 2018
Electric power transport
The transport of electricity consists of a large network interconnected throughout the territory, formed by large metal turrets that we can see in our territory, which carry energy from generation to points close to consumption, called transformation centers. It is done in high voltage because electricity is transported with less losses.
This activity is carried out by Red Eléctrica de España (REE), a company whose shareholding is 80% private participation and 20% public.
Electric power commercialization
Physically, energy comes to our homes thanks to the assets managed by the three types of companies mentioned: generators, the system operator (transport) and distributors. However, we need a fourth that is responsible for representing us in the wholesale electricity market to make the purchase of electricity on our behalf, anticipate our consumption, send us the bill for the expenditure of electricity we have made and a long etcetera. This administrative work is carried out by the marketer.
Castilla y León has the only oil extraction field on land: "Lora" in the town of Ayoluengo (Sargentes de la Lora - Burgos). Since January 2017 the extraction activity in this field was stopped and in March 2018 the Ministry of Energy published the extinction of the hydrocarbons exploitation concession to the company Petrolífera de Sedano SL, the current owner, with the idea of convening a next contest to award a new exploitation concession in the area with a view to a future use.
In this extraction field there was no refining station. The hydrocarbons that were obtained in this crude oil served directly as fuel to an industry in the area.
The other oil extraction fields existing in Spain are in the Mediterranean Sea.
In the following sectoral business associations you can find more information about the energy sector at regional and national level.
Indicators on the activity in the energy sector can be found updated in the following links to sectorial web pages.