https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Cold calls by gas and electricity suppliers offering you a supposedly better deal will soon be a thing of the past in Spain, according to legislation being drafted by the government, although another 2023 law which bans spam calls has so far failed. https://www.thelocal.es/20240820/spain-to-roll-out-another-law-banning-cold-calls-by-energy-companies Tue, 20 Aug 2024 16:02:40 +0200 spain-to-roll-out-another-law-banning-cold-calls-by-energy-companies Doomsday series and fake news have made the prospect of a national and Europe-wide outage seem outlandish, and yet we come close to such a critical event. How would Spanish authorities react if there was a days-long power cut? https://www.thelocal.es/20240628/how-would-spain-react-if-there-was-a-major-blackout Fri, 28 Jun 2024 14:48:07 +0200 how-would-spain-react-if-there-was-a-major-blackout Spain generated more than half of its electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar power in 2023 in a "historic" record, the national power grid said Thursday. https://www.thelocal.es/20240105/spain-generated-record-50-of-power-from-renewables-in-2023 Fri, 05 Jan 2024 11:00:41 +0100 spain-generated-record-50-of-power-from-renewables-in-2023 Demand for solar panels has shot up to unprecedented levels in Spain as Europe's energy crisis shows no sign of letting up, in a welcome boost for a sector with huge potential. https://www.thelocal.es/20221226/how-spaniards-are-snapping-up-solar-panels-as-energy-crisis-bites Mon, 26 Dec 2022 08:42:17 +0100 how-spaniards-are-snapping-up-solar-panels-as-energy-crisis-bites Finding a cheaper tariff is one of the best ways to counteract skyrocketing electricity bills, but a leading consumer watchdog has warned Spain’s electricity providers are not always open to telling customers about the best deal they can get. https://www.thelocal.es/20220923/the-cheapest-rates-spains-electricity-companies-dont-want-you-to-know-about Fri, 23 Sep 2022 11:57:50 +0200 the-cheapest-rates-spains-electricity-companies-dont-want-you-to-know-about Spain’s government adopted a series of measures on Tuesday aimed at encouraging the public to install solar panels to generate their own electricity as the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s Ukraine war grinds on. https://www.thelocal.es/20221019/spains-government-moves-to-get-public-to-install-solar-panels Wed, 19 Oct 2022 11:37:50 +0200 spains-government-moves-to-get-public-to-install-solar-panels With welcome news that Spain will cut VAT on electricity from 10 percent to five percent to shield consumers from soaring inflation, how much can you expect to actually save? https://www.thelocal.es/20220623/how-much-can-i-save-on-my-spanish-electricity-bill-now-that-vat-has-been-cut Thu, 23 Jun 2022 13:40:16 +0200 how-much-can-i-save-on-my-spanish-electricity-bill-now-that-vat-has-been-cut Spain will cut the value-added tax on electricity from 10 percent to five percent to shield consumers from soaring inflation fuelled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.es/20220622/spain-to-cut-electricity-tax-by-half-to-ease-inflation-pain Wed, 22 Jun 2022 17:01:27 +0200 spain-to-cut-electricity-tax-by-half-to-ease-inflation-pain Spain and Portugal reached an agreement with the European Commission Tuesday to slash electricity prices on the Iberian Peninsula, under an exemption allowing them to separate it from the price of gas. https://www.thelocal.es/20220427/spain-and-portugals-cost-cutting-energy-island-plan-gets-eu-approval Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:19:21 +0200 spain-and-portugals-cost-cutting-energy-island-plan-gets-eu-approval Spain and Portugal on Thursday sent Brussels their joint proposal for lowering electricity prices in the Iberian peninsula to a maximum of €30 ($33) per megawatt hour, Spain’s ecology minister said. https://www.thelocal.es/20220401/spain-and-portugal-present-their-energy-island-plan-for-cutting-electricity-costs Fri, 01 Apr 2022 13:39:28 +0200 spain-and-portugal-present-their-energy-island-plan-for-cutting-electricity-costs A lorry drivers' strike, mass protests by farmers and fishermen, industrial production stoppages: record inflation levels have fuelled growing anger with Spain's left-wing government as energy prices go through the roof. https://www.thelocal.es/20220323/focus-how-soaring-prices-are-fuelling-growing-social-unrest-in-spain Wed, 23 Mar 2022 17:41:46 +0100 focus-how-soaring-prices-are-fuelling-growing-social-unrest-in-spain Spain is no longer the country that ‘taxes the sun’ and solar panels are quicky becoming one of the best ways to cut costs at a time when electricity is more expensive than ever. But there is still a lot you need to know before making your Spanish home solar-powered. https://www.thelocal.es/20200922/getting-solar-panels-for-your-home-in-spain-what-you-need-to-know Tue, 22 Sep 2020 15:32:46 +0200 getting-solar-panels-for-your-home-in-spain-what-you-need-to-know War in Ukraine has pushed electricity prices in Spain to the highest rate on record - €544 per megawatt hour (MWh). Here are 11 ways to cut down on consumption and therefore your energy bills during this period of extreme market volatility. https://www.thelocal.es/20220307/11-ways-to-cut-costs-as-spains-electricity-rates-beat-all-records Mon, 07 Mar 2022 18:14:20 +0100 11-ways-to-cut-costs-as-spains-electricity-rates-beat-all-records People and businesses who are struggling to make ends meet in Spain can apply for a discount of up to 70 percent on their electricity bills. Here’s who can apply and how the process works. https://www.thelocal.es/20210111/explained-how-to-apply-for-a-discount-on-your-spanish-electricity-bill Mon, 11 Jan 2021 19:12:36 +0100 explained-how-to-apply-for-a-discount-on-your-spanish-electricity-bill People in Spain are paying the highest electricity prices on record currently. Here's how to check your electricity consumption in real time to keep on top of how much you're spending. https://www.thelocal.es/20210909/how-to-check-your-electricity-consumption-in-real-time-in-spain Thu, 09 Sep 2021 13:14:12 +0200 how-to-check-your-electricity-consumption-in-real-time-in-spain On Tuesday, the Spanish government approved a raft of measures to help reduce the ever-increasing electricity bills that those in Spain have been facing in recent months. Here's how they plan to do it and what measures will be in place going forward. https://www.thelocal.es/20210914/in-detail-how-spain-will-tackle-rising-electricity-prices Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:13:58 +0200 in-detail-how-spain-will-tackle-rising-electricity-prices Scorching heat has caused power prices to soar in Spain, leading to renewed tensions in the country's leftist coalition government over how to lower ballooning electricity bills. https://www.thelocal.es/20210820/spains-government-feels-heat-over-sky-high-electricity-prices Fri, 20 Aug 2021 11:31:10 +0200 spains-government-feels-heat-over-sky-high-electricity-prices Spain now pays one of the highest prices for electricity in the whole of the EU. What's behind the recent price hikes and how can you save money on your bill? https://www.thelocal.es/20210722/why-is-electricity-in-spain-more-expensive-than-ever Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:23:48 +0200 why-is-electricity-in-spain-more-expensive-than-ever The entire island of Tenerife suffered a power cut on Wednesday which affected nearly a million inhabitants and tourists, power companies said. https://www.thelocal.es/20200715/entire-island-of-tenerife-hit-by-power-cut Wed, 15 Jul 2020 13:47:09 +0200 entire-island-of-tenerife-hit-by-power-cut The Canary Island of Tenerife was hit by a major blackout on Sunday leaving 1 million people without power for nine hours. https://www.thelocal.es/20190930/tenerife-suffers-massive-power-cut-leaving-1-million-people-in-the-dark Mon, 30 Sep 2019 11:38:48 +0200 tenerife-suffers-massive-power-cut-leaving-1-million-people-in-the-dark