Only 33 wind turbines of approximately 80 meters in height are needed to supply 38,000 homes with electricity. Currently, the region of Navarra is a national and international leader for both the production and use of renewable energies. There are currently more than 50 wind farms full of windmills producing renewable energy, which produce around 1,089 megawatts of electricity according to reports from regional media.

In 2013, Spain became the first country in the world where wind energy was the main source of electricity generation for a whole year, representing 20.9% of the total production. Within this particular achievement, Navarra represented a really significant share with a large piece of land dedicated to the installation of wind turbines. Wind turbines are devices that transform the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy through a completely sustainable process, free of pollutants, free of emissions, inexhaustible, reducing the use of fossil fuels and energy imports and, in addition, with the benefit that it is completely renewable energy.

In 1994, the company Energía Hidroeléctrica de Navarra (EHN), partially owned by the Spanish government, started the large wind farm of El Pardón, which is the oldest and most functional wind farm to date in the region. This installation, today owned by the company Acciona, led to the development of an important commercial sector associated with wind energy in the region, as well as a high level of awareness and information about clean energy powered by wind. Over time, investments within the renewable energy industry have allowed for innovations to be generated within wind turbine farms. The windmills that made up El Perdón in 1994 and looked like giants back then, are of minimal size compared to today’s windmills. In 25 years, the size of the wind turbines has grown from 40 to 120 meters high, and the power of the machines has increased sixfold.

With this level of positive growth within the renewable energy sector in the Navarra region, the regional government has now started a project entitled Plan Energético Navarra Horizonte 2030 (“2030 Energy Plan for Navarra”) or PEN 2030. This plan aims to promote wind energy and to plan a much broader implementation of clean energy. The general goal of the policy is to develop and implement a new comprehensive environmental strategy for Navarra by 2030, and it is in line with European policy recommendations.

More specifically, the Energy Plan for Navarra aims for a goal of 50% renewable energy out of total energy use in the region. In order to meet this goal, Navarra will need to increase its production of clean energy by expanding existing infrastructure or developing new wind farms.

Navarra is not far from achieving these goals, as stated  in 2018 by Manu Ayerdi, the former Navarra vice president for economic development: “In Navarra we have a very favorable ecosystem for the development of the sector, which makes the Comunidad Foral a leading territory in technology for the wind industry.”

“However, we live in a global market and we have to fight all together so that Navarra continues to be a benchmark, getting better and better. For this we have to work and improve relentlessly,” Ayerdi said.

Over the last two decades, the region has shown remarkable growth in terms of sustainability and projects related to environmental care. If the government’s efforts continue to focus on the wind sector, in addition to keeping the population properly informed in terms of data, progress and future projects, it is highly likely that Navarra will even surpass the numbers established for the year 2030.