Final energy consumption

Annual final energy consumption in Spain experienced a significant reduction between 2008 and 2009, largely due to the global economic crisis, with a year-on-year fall of 3.6% and 7%, respectively, reaching 89.8% of the consumption recorded in 2005 (1). In the following years, a less pronounced downward trend was observed. In 2014, assuming that 2005 represents 100%, consumption fell by 17.2 percentage points. From 2015 onwards, final energy consumption started to increase again until 2019, when it stood at 88.2% of the 2005 level.

In 2020, as a consequence of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, final energy consumption dropped sharply to 75.2% compared with 2005. The economic upturn resulted in a significant recovery of consumption in 2021 and a more subdued recovery in 2022, which experienced a slight year-on-year increase in consumption due to savings policies motivated by the energy crisis resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Final energy consumption reached 82.8% compared with 2005, still below the level before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, between 2005 and 2021, final energy consumption decreased at an average rate of 1 percentage point per year compared with 2005. However, this decline is insufficient to meet the target of reducing final energy consumption to 76.1% compared with 2005, which would require a decline of 1.4 percentage points per year between 2023 and 2030.

The reduction in final energy consumption proposed in the NECP is equivalent to 1.6% per year from 2019, which, linked to a projected increase in GDP over the same period of 1.1%, will result in an improvement in final energy intensity of 3.1% per year until 2030.