On World Energy Efficiency Day, IbizaPreservation’s Sustainability Observatory stresses need to accelerate energy transition process, as pledged in Balearic Climate Change Law
Ibiza, 05-03-2024 – In 2023, official data revealed a significant increase in photovoltaic energy production for the first time in Ibiza’s history. Production rose from 1,288 MWh in 2022 to 9,605.3 MWh last year, meaning that the island generated 7.5 times more clean energy than in the previous year. The data, sourced from IBESTAT, was analysed by IbizaPreservation’s Sustainability Observatory for its 2023 report, currently being compiled.
However, despite this significant increase, the percentage of renewable energy on the island remains insignificant compared to overall energy production, accounting for only 2.8%. Diesel combustion continues to be the leading source of energy production locally, accounting for 61.3%, followed by 35.6% generated by gas turbine. In other words, fossil fuels make up 97% of Ibiza’s electricity production.
Another development worth noting in 2023 was that some energy was generated through cogeneration (energy generated from another primary source of energy) although only a marginal amount, at just 0.2% of the total energy generated.
These latest figures reveal that Ibiza has the second lowest percentage of clean energy production of the Balearic Islands (after Menorca). In Mallorca, 6.36% of the energy generated is renewable, whilst in Menorca the percentage is only 2.83%. In Formentera, on the other hand, the figure is 77.32%. This high percentage is directly linked to the 77% decrease in local production from gas turbines due to the commissioning of the Ibiza-Formentera link.
Meanwhile, as regards the total energy demand in Ibiza, it is worth noting that there has been no increase in consumption in 2023, as had consistently been the case in previous years, except for in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic. In fact, the use of electricity on the island has decreased by 0.1%. Of the 955.558,5 Mwh consumed on the island in 2023, 64.5% was covered by the Mallorca-Ibiza link, while the remaining 35.5% was produced on the island.
However, the Sustainability Observatory highlighted the fact that the contribution made by renewable energy production compared to the total consumption in Ibiza in 2023 is only 1%. “There is still a long way to go to reach the target of 35% renewable energy penetration established by the Balearic Law on Energy Transition and Climate Change by the year 2030,” explained Itziar Arratibel, the Observatory’s coordinator.
The director of IbizaPreservation, Inma Saranova, celebrated the improvement in the data, but insisted on the need for greater progress: “We value the steps being taken, both by the Balearic Government and by local institutions on the island, and that there is now some data on cogeneration. However, we remain 34 percentage points away from reaching the legal target on renewables. We are concerned about the slow-moving pace of decision-making, and we consider the improvement and implementation of the Energy Transition Plan of the Balearic Islands an absolute priority.”
In the light of the 2023 data, the IbizaPreservation Sustainability Observatory reiterated its call for all public, private and social stakeholders in Ibiza to increase the role of renewable energies, promoting both self-consumption and energy communities, and taking urgent measures (technological, infrastructural, changes in habits, etc.) to reduce consumption and build an efficient, sustainable and eco-social energy model.
