Iberdrola CCGTs Busy in Spain, UK

Leading Spanish-owned generator Iberdrola reported July 13 a small year-on-year increase of 2% in its electricity production from combined-cycle (CCGT) power plants in January-June 2018 to 25.4 terawatt-hours, representing 34% of its worldwide power output.  That however lagged a 6.5% growth in its overall power production to 75.6 TWh in 1H2018.

Gas-fired power production from CCGTs increased by 43% in Spain to 1.52 TWh, and by 16% in the UK to 3.79 TWh, both countries where the winter and early spring were colder than usual this year, and by 13.5% in Brazil to 2.1 TWh. However in Mexico, which accounts for about two-thirds of its worldwide gas-fired generation, generation by CCGTs declined by 4% to 18 TWh.

Thus gas at CCGTs generated 91% of Iberdrola's power output in Mexico, 59% in the UK, 25% in Brazil but only 5% in Spain - whereas renewables accounted for 51% of Iberdrola's Spanish power production.

Iberdrola saw double-digit growth in its renewables generation in all its main host countries in 1H2018, with Spain’s up by 29.5% to 15.1 TWh – of which 7.8 TWh from hydro, up 49%. Its only coal-fired generation worldwide was in Spain: 0.59 TWh, down 48% year on year.

Iberdrola's worldwide installed CCGT generation capacity of 14 gigawatts was little changed year on year, of which 5.7 GW in Spain, 5.6 GW in Mexico, 2 GW in the UK, 0.5 GW in Brazil and 0.2 GW in the US.