POWER: Spanish Hydro Stocks Fall to 49.3% of Capacity

Hydropower reserves in Spain declined another week to 49.3% of capacity as of the end of week 36, down from 49.5% of capacity the week before according to data from Spain’s Environmental Ministry.

• Hydropower output from reservoirs last week declined by 269MW to 1.4GW. Run-of-river generation edged higher by 100MW to 682MW, while output from pumped storage was stable at 928MW.
• Spanish nuclear generation last week was broadly stable at 6.94GW.
• Gas-fired generation in Spain last week declined by 1.72GW to 5.58GW.
• Wind output in Spain last week increased by 687MW to 4.9GW, while solar PV output rose by 493MW to 7.23GW.
• Power demand in Spain last week averaged 26.85GW, down from 28.31GW the week prior.
• Precipitation in the hydro-intensive region of Huesca last week totalled 103.6mm, compared with the 30-year normal of 5.1mm, supporting inflows into reserves.
• Looking ahead, the latest ECMWF forecasts suggested precipitation in Huesca will rise above the seasonal normal this week to total 10.46mm, compared with the average of 6.77mm, further supporting inflows into reserves.
• Mean temperatures in Madrid are forecast just above the seasonal normal until 11 September, after which temperatures will fall below the average – limiting demand for cooling.
• Wind output in Spain this week is forecast between 2.57GW and 8.85GW during base-load hours. Solar PV generation is forecast between 10.17GW and 12.59GW during peak-load hours for this week according to SpotRenewables.