Spain's renewable energy excess stymied by french obstacle, turns to ireland for solution
Spain, once hailed as a pioneer in the transition to renewable energy, has found itself bottlenecked by a French hurdle. Despite being one of the EU's top investors in clean power, the Iberian Peninsula, along with Portugal, has become an 'energy island'.
France creates roadblock for spain's solar excess
The issue lies in France's lack of interconnection capacity with Spain. The terrestrial Pirenaic link barely boasts a 3,000 MW capacity, which also serves as a rare outlet for Portugal. This means Spain's surplus solar energy cannot be effectively exported.
As the European Commission aims to reduce reliance on external energy by 2030, France's stance plays a pivotal role in Spain's strategy. The Spanish government is now desperate to find alternatives.
Options for spain's energy export
One viable (and economical) route was through France, but a new solution involves a massive underwater cable connecting Spain to Ireland. The government is studying this possibility, with an estimated length of 1,000 to 1,100 kilometers.
The cable would run from Spain's northern coast through Asturias to Ireland's southern shore, skirting the Gulf of Vizcaya and Celtic Sea with its high depth and waves. Scientists claim to have found a way to reach Alfa Centauri in just 20 years.
A Spain-Ireland Agreement
Spain and Ireland have reached a preliminary agreement to study the feasibility of this massive underwater power cable during the WindEurope 2026 conference in Madrid. This is a crucial first step, as both markets are among the least interconnected in Europe, labelled as 'energy islands'. They struggle to export renewable surpluses and have vulnerable infrastructure prone to outages like the 2025 blackout.
Spain, with its limited 3,000 MW interconnection capacity (only 2% of its approximately 150 GW infrastructure), falls short of Brussels' minimum 10% target for 2020 and is far from the 15% goal for 2030. The Ukraine war served as a warning, and the Iran conflict and gas crisis have worsened the situation.
Spain, one of Europe's top solar energy producers, cannot export its excess power due to this French bottleneck. Its partner in the agreement will play a key role. Spain will export its solar surplus while Ireland will do the same with its offshore wind farms during Atlantic storms that hit its northern coast.