Spain's Hydroelectric Generation Reportedly Drops to Record Low in 30 Years Due to Droughts

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hydroelectric generation in Spain has reached the lowest level in 30 years amid the ongoing droughts ravaging the country, threatening to aggravate the European energy crisis, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Monday.

According to the paper, hydropower generation dropped to a decades-long minimum, with water reservoirs in Spain only 37.9% full, the lowest level since 1995.

Such water levels lead to reduced power capacities, the newspaper said, adding that from January 1 to August 15, electricity production at hydroelectric power stations was below 11,400 gigawatt hours (GWh), a record-low since 1992. Meanwhile, Spain produced 22,600 GWh of hydroelectric energy over the same period in 2021, nearly twice as much as this year.

El Pais noted that sagging energy production levels will deal a particularly severe blow to energy prices coming fall, when hydropower generation increases in the total share of energy produced in Spain.

Spain was ravaged by extreme temperatures in July and early August, when the air heated up to 38-40 degrees Celsius (100.4-104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Last week, Spanish media said that the country intends to invest over 200 million euros ($203 million) in the expansion and construction of water desalination plants amid the severe droughts. Several Spanish regions that imposed water consumption restrictions began importing water by tankers.