Los centros de datos acaparan una de cada tres conexiones a la red eléctrica

Data centers now account for 34.2% of the new access capacity granted in the electric transmission network, with a total of 6,328 megawatts (MW), according to Red Eléctrica, a company dependent on Redeia. These centers have not yet entered service, according to the company, which manages high-voltage electricity lines in Spain. The company recently published a map on the status of connection demand requests on its website.

For the first time, it categorizes requests by type, revealing how far the surge in data centers has reached. In total, the operator's cartographic tool has reflected the allocation of 18.52 gigawatts (GW) of access in the system, of which 11.05 GW corresponds to installations that have not yet begun to operate on the network. Following data centers, industrial supplies are the second largest segment with the most power granted, reaching 5,836 MW (4,345 MW of which are already in service), ahead of rail infrastructure, which has 3,551 MW assigned.

Meanwhile, hydrogen and renewable gas projects account for 2,436 MW of authorized capacity, of which 27 MW are already operational and 2,409 MW are pending technical connection. The remaining allocated power has been distributed among other demand facilities (289 MW), port terminals (80 MW) and electric vehicle charging points, which have obtained a MW.

Data from Redeia fuels the debate on data centers, which complain of a lack of connections and an unfavorable regulation, and the statistics show they have more connections than other sectors, but are not using them.