Spain: Wind power provides a boost for natural gas industry

A STORMY autumn meant more record-breaking for Spanish wind-power generators. Wind turbines met more than half of the country's electricity demand for the first time on one breezy Sunday morning in November – and that turns out to be good news not just for the wind sector, but also for the gas industry. Wind farms produced 53% of the country's electricity requirements on 8 November, generating 11.5 gigawatts (GW) at their peak, almost two-thirds of the 17 GW total capacity of the Spanish wind sector. That beat a record of 44% set less than a week earlier. The extra wind power meant Spain had more electricity than it needed over that weekend and was able to export some of it, as well as u