25 November 2025
Spain’s fair-well to coal: How just transition helped Spain end coal power
By Alexandru Mustață, Campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels
Spain quietly reached a historic milestone this summer: for a record 74 days between 3 July and 16 September, the country’s power system operated entirely without coal. With coal accounting for less than 1% of Spain’s electricity generation this year, it’s a clear sign that the country is on the brink of completing a full coal phase-out.
This is a significant achievement for one of Europe’s largest economies, which relied heavily on coal power just two decades ago. The Spanish government no longer needs to wait until the end of the year to declare a coal phase-out on the mainland.
Spain’s success didn’t happen by chance. It came from careful planning, political will, and a strong commitment to fairness. The country’s transition is a blueprint for how to exit coal while supporting communities and preserving public trust.
A just transition puts people first
Spain’s coal phase-out stands out not only for its speed, but for its fairness. Since 2019, Spain has invested in one of Europe’s most comprehensive just transition strategies, producing a detailed roadmap for closing mines and coal plants, while also supporting labour retraining, local economic diversification, and environmental restoration in former coal regions.
A trio of policies, the Just Transition Strategy, together with the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law and the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan, set the foundation for a model that combines climate ambition with social cohesion. With the 2022 update of the Climate Law, Spain went further, making it a legal obligation to approve a new Just Transition Strategy every five years.
These policies have mobilised over EUR 1 billion, created over 5,000 jobs in clean industries, and helped former carbon-intensive communities reimagine their futures. This approach also earned strong public trust. Investments in just transition policies receive the strongest cross-ideology support among Spanish citizens—more than any other climate policy.
Together, these plans show that Spain’s energy transition is about more than shutting down fossil fuel plants. As the country nears the symbolic end of coal power, it can use this fair, participatory model to guide the transition to a renewables-based economy.
From coal to clean: Spain’s final transition test
Today, all major coal plants on mainland Spain are either closed or awaiting imminent permits to shut down.
EDP, the utility operating the last coal plants on peninsular Spain, has positioned itself as a progressive, decarbonising utility. It has publicly committed to being coal-free by the end of 2025, requesting the authorisation to close all its remaining coal operations in Spain (Aboño I, Soto 3, and Los Barrios) since October 2023. Now, it’s up to the Spanish government and energy regulatory bodies to approve and publish those decisions.
Aboño I, the last regularly operating coal unit, is allowed limited use, 2000 hours in 2025, pending closure. Aboño II was converted to fossil gas at the end of July, highlighting a warning: careful planning in the deployment of clean energy and flexibility together with bold foresight from government and system operators are the only way to avoid short-term reliance on other fossil fuels when exiting coal.
Alcúdia, located on the Balearic Islands, is the only remaining plant used for emergency backup until a second transmission interconnection connects the islands to the mainland. Its operation is capped to 500 hours per year.
Spain’s chance to lead and inspire others
Like the UK and Portugal, Spain is on a positive trajectory of rapid decarbonisation of electricity. Renewables are growing fast; grid flexibility and storage are expanding; coal’s contribution to its energy mix is shrinking to almost zero. The technical, regulatory, and economic obstacles that once held back coal phase-out are being solved.
But while Spain nears the end of coal, other EU countries like Poland and Romania are still struggling with their phase-outs. Their progress depends on continued EU support to finance just transition policies and ensure no region is left behind.
European peers are watching. With COP-30 on the horizon, global expectations are tightening. Countries are being judged not only by what they close, but also by what they build. If the EU wants to set and achieve ambitious 2040 climate targets, it should look to Spain’s success and continue backing the just transition.
Spain has an opportunity to use its last remaining coal days not as a period of limbo, but as a moment of leadership: to tell the world that, like the UK last year, it has moved past coal, and that a fair, renewables-based energy system is both possible and socially inclusive. Its experience offers a roadmap for other countries—combining ambitious coal closures with robust social policies, investments in grid reliability, and clear legal frameworks for a clean, just transition.
Leadership in Europe isn’t solely about ambitious targets or bold subsidies. It’s about closing the door on fossil power once and for all, and moving unimpeded into a renewable future.