Wind power installed in Spain grew in 2022 with the commissioning of 1,670 new megawatts. This is a figure that not only doubled the amount for the previous year, but one that also brings Spain closer to the milestone of thirty gigawatts of installed power in this source of sustainable energy. This year will undoubtedly be the year when the ceiling will be exceeded, as the actual figure reached at the end of 2022 was 29,813 megawatts.

These data have been provided by the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE), which represents over 90% of the industry in Spain, including developers, manufacturers of wind turbines and components, associations and other stakeholders. According to the balance sheet published, Spain closed 2022 with 22,042 wind turbines distributed across a total of 1,345 wind farms. 46 wind farms and a total of 395 wind turbines were commissioned last year.

European ranking
Spain was in sixth place in terms of the countries that installed the most wind power capacity in Europe in 2022, behind Germany, Sweden, Finland, France and the United Kingdom. Even so, the country maintained its position as the one with the second largest installed capacity in continental Europe, with 12% of the total. Germany leads the ranking with 66 gigawatts, followed by the UK (29), France (21), Sweden (15) and Turkey (12).

With a total of 255 gigawatts installed, wind energy already produces over 17% of the electricity consumed in Europe. In Spain, this figure rises to 25% on average, although the AEE highlights milestones such as 9 March, when this energy source produced 50% of the electricity consumed in Spain. This means that, according to AEE data, savings for consumers amounted to 8.252 billion euros in 2022.

Wind turbine manufacturing
Spain is also a powerhouse for the manufacture of wind turbines, with over 250 production centres, and making it one of the main exporters. These companies have a combined manufacturing capacity, measured in megawatts, of 4,000 megawatts per year. Moreover, they provide over 32,000 jobs, a number that the AEE estimates will double by the end of this decade.

The most optimistic estimates calculate that a further 12.2 gigawatts of wind power capacity will be installed in Spain by 2027 “if the necessary financing is obtained”. This would make progress towards meeting the objectives of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), which is to reach 50.3 gigawatts by 2030, and to supplying 34% of electricity through wind energy.

With the exception of Madrid, Ceuta and Melilla, all of Spain's autonomous communities have wind power in their energy mix. Those that installed the most power in 2022 were Castile-La Mancha (837 megawatts), Aragón (492) and Castile and León (105). These same communities are competing for the top spots in the total installed capacity ranking, with Castile and León in the lead (6,507 megawatts), followed by Aragón (4,921) and Castile-La Mancha (3,949).

^{Photo: Wind Energy Business Association}