Spanish Hydropower Plant Will Go Offline Thanks to Punishing Drought
As the world faces an unfolding energy crisis and an ongoing climate crisis, a hydropower plant in Spain is going dark because of low water levels at the reservoir that powers it. The country has spent months in a major drought.
The Mequinenza power plant, which is located in the Aragon region in the northeast of Spain, is the fifth-largest hydropower plant in Spain. Bloomberg reported this week that the power plant will stop operating for the first time in its more than 50-year history this month.
According to Bloomberg, water levels at the reservoir that powers the Mequinenza plant hit their lowest totals since 1995 last month. The reservoir is at just 23% capacity, forcing the 380-megawatt plant to shut off for the first time since it was built in 1966. In the last week of October, the plant produced just 27% of its total energy output.
Grid operator Red Electrica Corporacion SA reported that hydropower generation across the country has fallen by more than 50% this year due to the low levels of water in reservoirs. Hydropower provided over 11% of Spain’s total electricity output last year, making it the fourth most important energy source.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/hydropower-plant-will-go-offline-thanks-to-punishing-drought/ar-AA14hmgm