CO2 emissions from energy sources in Spain were reduced by 7.2% in 2019, thanks to the greater wind energy contribution

Eurostat estimates that in 2019, a year before the European Union (EU) extensively introduced containment measures for COVID-19, the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the combustion of fossil fuels (mainly oil and products derived from oil, coal, peat and natural gas) decreased significantly by 4.3% compared to the previous year in the EU. Spain reduced them by 7.2%, with one of the factors being the largest wind power contribution in the second half of the year.

Source: Eurostat

As can be seen in the Eurostat graph, Spain is one of the countries that most reduced its CO2 emissions from energy sources in 2019, with the largest European economies reducing them the most, with 7.2%, compared to 4.2% from Germany, or 2% from France and Italy.

A major cause behind the reduction in Spanish CO2 emissions compared to 2018 was the greater wind energy contribution to the generation mix, + 9.4%, thanks to the new wind farms launched mainly in the second half of the year. This higher wind power contribution in the second half of the year also contributed to a reduction in electricity prices for domestic consumers (-3.4%). As can be seen in the graph, according to Eurostat it was one of the few countries where these prices decreased in that period.