• The publication of the interactive capacity map by electrical substations in Spain has generated a series of reactions that agree on the critical importance of the electricity grid for industrial development.

  • Starting today, and in the coming weeks, we will gather various positions from institutions and authorities to assess the situation and propose recommendations. In today’s article, we feature reactions from Catalunya and the Basque Country.

  • «We think about the new, but we don’t take into account what we’ve known how to do for a hundred years, which is networks», Patxi Calleja, Director of Regulation at Iberdrola España.

  • “The chemical sector of Tarragona is aware of the technical and capacity limitations of the transmission grid. For this reason, we promote projects that can reverse the situation, such as the Escatrón–Els Aubals–La Secuita line, but this is only the beginning. It should be complemented with other actions in consensus with the territory to keep the chemical industry decarbonized and circular,” Asociación de Empresas Químicas de Tarragona (AEQT).

  • “Without enough ‘power,’ we neither grow nor progress in the energy transition,” Tamara Yagüe, President of Confebask.

  • «Gipuzkoa and the Basque Country have one of the strongest industrial and business muscles in the country. But this doesn’t come from nowhere, nor can we fall into the mistake of taking it for granted», Miren Elosegui, Head of Ecological Transition and Sustainability at ADEGI.

  • «As long as the problem of grid saturation is not solved through greater investment in its expansion, reinforcement, and adaptation, the energy transition will not be possible», Macarena Larrea Basterra and Stephanía Mosquera López, researchers at the Energy and Environment Lab of Orkestra – Instituto Vasco de Competitividad.

September 26, 2025

Last week, Foro Industria y Energía, in collaboration with Opina 360, presented the first interactive capacity map by electrical substations in Spain. The study, which mapped the situation of 6,023 substations, confirmed what had long been feared: a highly saturated system, with 82.4% of substations lacking available capacity.

In light of this diagnosis, we asked ourselves to what extent these data could redefine industrial geography, the competitiveness of territories, and industrial investment plans. To answer this question, there is nothing better than listening to the voices that know the territory firsthand, which is why we have opened a dialogue space with experts and authorities.

In that debate, Patxi Calleja, Director of Regulation at Iberdrola España, issued a warning that sums up the challenge well: «We think about the new, but we don’t take into account what we’ve known how to do for a hundred years, which is networks». In his view, industry seeks to take advantage of the energy transition, but finds itself facing saturated substations, the result of having focused efforts on new regulations and programs –PERTE, renewables, transformations– while neglecting the essential: reinforcing and expanding the grid. «The traditional strangles the modern and is incapable of leveraging the development and growth of many industries that need it», he explained during the Forbes Summit 25 in Madrid.

The publication of this map, therefore, has not left anyone indifferent and has generated a series of reactions that agree on the critical importance of the electricity grid for industrial development. In the coming weeks, we will gather various positions from institutions and authorities to assess the situation and propose recommendations. In today’s article, we feature some reactions from Catalunya and the Basque Country.

Heterogeneous Catalunya: Barcelona leading, the rest of the provinces under electrical pressure

Although Catalunya is the third region in the country with the highest capacity to access the electricity grid (1,306.3 MW), only behind Galicia and Andalusia, almost all this capacity is concentrated in the province of Barcelona (1,113.9 MW). In terms of saturation index, of the 378 substations in the region, 300 are saturated, 79.3%, slightly below the national average. However, the provinces of Girona (85.53%), Lleida (94.29%), and Tarragona (92%) are above the national average, reflecting significant limitations for industrial development. In Tarragona, of the 50 substations analyzed, 46 are completely saturated.

The chemical sector of Tarragona, through the Asociación de Empresas Químicas de Tarragona (AEQT), is aware of these restrictions, both in terms of new connection points available and in the technical and capacity limitations of the transmission grid that feeds the local substations. For this reason, in coordination with all stakeholders, it promotes projects that can reverse the situation, such as the Escatrón–Els Aubals–La Secuita line, included in the 2021–2026 electrical planning, which will supply up to 2.8 GW of renewable electricity to the Tarragona petrochemical hub with the necessary security and reliability. AEQT notes that “this is only the beginning, it should be complemented with other actions in consensus with the territory, to be able to keep Tarragona’s chemical industry decarbonized and circular.”

Basque Country: the epicenter of electrical suffocation

While other territories show significant tensions, the Basque Country concentrates the highest degree of electricity grid saturation in the country. Of the 497 substations analyzed in the region, 493 are fully occupied; in total, this represents 99.2% saturation, nearly ten points above the national average (82.4%). The available margin barely reaches 7 MW in total, concentrated in four substations in Gipuzkoa. All this in a region that accounts for 10.4% of Spain’s industrial electricity consumption and contributes 9.8% of the national GDP, according to a previous study by Opina 360 for Foro Industria y Energía.

With such powerful industrial muscle, the outlook is especially tense: how does this grid saturation affect the competitiveness of Basque industry and, by extension, the entire region? How does it condition the territory’s capacity to advance in the energy transition, inseparable from its industrial future? And how is the business ecosystem affected, from established companies to local value chains and the arrival of new investments, which depend on reliable and sufficient supply? In short, can the region maintain its capacity for development, innovation, and competitiveness if the grid does not keep up?

Voices from the territory: ‘An industrial muscle that cannot be taken for granted’

For Miren Elosegui, Head of Ecological Transition and Sustainability at ADEGI (Asociación de Empresas de Gipuzkoa), the answer is clear: «Gipuzkoa and the Basque Country have one of the strongest industrial and business muscles in the country. But this doesn’t come from nowhere, nor can we fall into the mistake of taking it for granted».

Elosegui stresses that at a time when «industrial competitiveness is threatened by countless variables, we cannot afford not to solve such a serious issue as the saturation of the national electricity grid’s capacity». Her diagnosis is blunt: «Electricity supply must be constant and reliable, and the responsibilities of guaranteeing it must not be evaded».

Are the 7 MW available in Gipuzkoa enough to maintain the province’s industrial competitiveness? ADEGI’s representative’s response is categorical: «7 MW are not enough». And her reasoning goes beyond the current figure: «Let’s not forget that the electricity grid will be increasingly strained by growing demand due to the electrification of production processes and the increasing penetration of renewables».

In this regard, Tamara Yagüe, President of the Basque Business Confederation (Confebask), emphasizes that grid saturation has a direct and negative impact: it prevents industrial growth, hinders the decarbonization of companies, makes it harder to attract new investments, and deepens the competitive disadvantage compared to other regions with less saturation. Although she values positively the recent agreement between the Basque Government and the State to increase the available power in the region by 40%, she warns that much remains to be specified to turn this promise into tangible results.

This perspective resonates with researchers from Orkestra – Instituto Vasco de Competitividad, Macarena Larrea Basterra and Stephanía Mosquera López, who from the Energy and Environment Lab provide a systemic view of the problem. For them, «as long as the problem of grid saturation is not solved through greater investment in its expansion, reinforcement, and adaptation, the energy transition will not be possible».

How will this saturation affect the energy transition and the region’s competitiveness? Orkestra’s experts are clear: «This will not only put at risk the decarbonization of the economy but also negatively affect the competitiveness of companies and of the Basque Country».

Their analysis delves into lost opportunities: «The Basque Country has an energy-intensive industry and a significant weight in GDP, which sees the electrification of its energy consumption as a path to competitive decarbonization». Electrification, they explain, «would allow for lower energy bills, greater growth of the electrical equipment manufacturing industry –which has a complete value chain in the territory– and the promotion of innovative technologies and new business models».

The blocked potential is not limited to traditional industry. As Orkestra points out, it also hinders «the attraction of investments in new economic activities such as data centers or green hydrogen, and the retention of traditional activities such as steel or cement».

From diagnosis to action: a roadmap to get out of the deadlock

More than diagnosing, the situation requires action. In this context, the contributions of experts are particularly valuable, because they do not limit themselves to pointing out difficulties, but propose concrete solutions to maintain competitiveness and advance in the energy transition.

Calleja proposes addressing the ‘issues of the past’: «the key is to execute and unlearn: only then will we lead the energy transformation in Spain». For him, although the Ministry has set out to solve this problem with a Royal Decree that allows increased investment in networks, the sector is still waiting for the CNMC to amend its draft Circulars so that the investment in electricity networks announced by the Spanish government can become a reality.

Elosegui points out that «industrial decarbonization will not be possible without ensuring a robust and adaptable electricity grid. To guarantee this, there must be an adequate assessment of possible risks, an anticipatory action plan, and reasonable costs for improvement and maintenance».

For their part, Orkestra’s researchers, authors of the recent report The value of electricity grids for the competitiveness of the Basque Country, present a seven-point agenda to face the challenges:

  1. Have an updated grid planning for the 21st century and decarbonization.

  2. Streamline procedures for obtaining permits.

  3. Ensure coordination among stakeholders in project execution.

  4. Establish a stable and predictable regulatory and remuneration framework that incentivizes investment, the financial return rate, the increase of early investments, and the update of unit costs.

  5. Develop a strategy to address the social acceptance of necessary infrastructures.

  6. Create financing mechanisms for the value chain.

  7. Promote the development of skills associated with electricity grids and talent attraction.

Along these lines, Yagüe underlines the urgency of defining timelines and commitments: «We need to know the details and deadlines for making that greater available capacity a reality for the urgent implementation of the measure. Because we insist: without enough ‘power,’ we neither grow nor progress in the energy transition».