Present and Future of Renewable Energy in Spain

EVENT ORGANIZED BY VECTOR CUATRO

On June 7, Vector Cuatro hosted the event ¨Present and Future of Renewable Energy in Spain", a seminar that took place in Madrid, in which the leading exponents in the renewable energy industry gathered to talk about the development, financing and project management in the country.

During this seminar, with several specialized presentations and round table discussions, the most current topics were discussed, such as the new regulatory and financial framework for project development, legal security, the impact of renewable energy on the electricity system, and trends in asset management.

José Donoso (President of the Spanish Photovoltaic Union, UNEF) and Juan Virgilio Márquez (President of the Spanish Wind Association, AEE) opened the event as representatives, talking about the current situation and perspectives of the wind and photovoltaic sectors in Spain. Both highlighted the need for a stable regulatory framework, in order to give investors confidence and allow progress towards the energy transition.

Joaquín Monfort (X-Elio), Luis Martínez (Hive Energy), Juan López (Circle Energy) and Carlos Relancio (Cox Energy) participated in the first panel of the seminar, under the title "The New Scenario for the Development of Renewable Projects", hosted by Hugo Álvarez (Head of Engineering Department at Vector Cuatro). The speakers pointed out that obtaining the connection point and the administrative process are the main difficulties in project development. Additionally, they discussed how the  lack of "ready-to-build" projects has produced a certain price bubble andthe concern that the obligation of connecting projects awarded in auctions before 2020 may cause a shortage of supplies and increases in construction costs.

The second panel  "Trends in Project Management", had. José Benito García (T-Solar), Jordi Francesch (Glennmont Partners), Juan Manuel Fernández (Sonnedix) and Domingo Vegas (Gransolar) as speakers. In this panel, hosted by Miguel Pérez (Head of Asset Management at Vector Cuatro), the importance of seeking a flexible management model that makes sense from an economic point of view was highlighted, stressing the added value of having long-term collaborations with companies specialized in asset management.

Manuel de Vicente-Tutor (Equipo Económico) gave a presentation on the challenge of environmental taxation and renewable energy. Following, Juan Manuel Rodríguez (Red Eléctrica de España) emphasized on the challenges for the safe integration of renewable energy into the Spanish electricity system.

To conclude the seminar, Raúl Rodríguez (Engie), Josep Montañés (Banc Sabadell), David Díez (Watson Farley Williams), Carlos Rey (Foresight),) and Álvaro Pérez de Lema (Saeta Yield) discussed the investment and financing of renewable projects from different perspectives. In this panel hosted by Beatriz Llorente (Global Head of Transaction Services in Vector Cuatro) and Rafael Echegoyen (Head of Legal Services in Vector Cuatro), different models of development in the market and the possibilities of financing were discussed in first place. Subsequently, the speech focused on commercial and legal aspects of power purchase agreements (PPA). At the end of the seminar, the investments approach and expectations of profitability according to the project type were also discussed.

Throughout the day, it became clear that even though the auctions in Spain were not especially attractive regarding its profitability for investors, they served as a catalyst for the reactivation of the renewable energy sector, and for the emergence of alternative development models that were so far nonexistent in the country. Moreover, the high number of attendees, both national and international, showed the great interest companies in different fields all have in the Spanish market.

Spain is undoubtedly one of the key markets for renewable energy in the coming years. Besides the 8.5 GW awarded in the auctions, in the past months, we can see a great activity of projects development without subsidies. In addition to the new developments, Spain, with 23 GW wind energy and 5 GW solar energy, is one of the countries with the highest installed capacity in Europe.