The electricity industry in Spain: A structural analysis using a disaggregated input-output model

Abstract

This paper describes the construction and analysis of a disaggregated input-output model and its extension to a social accounting matrix (SAM) for the Spanish economy in 2013. Our focus is the specific disaggregation of the electricity industry into the generating, transmission, distribution and marketing businesses, which were decoupled in 1997 under legislation prohibiting any single company from conducting more than one of them. The multi-sectoral framework also allows disaggregation of electricity generating by production technologies (wind, nuclear, conventional thermal, hydropower, solar and other technologies). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper in which this information is presented in a multi-sectoral framework for the Spanish economy, which is enormously dependent on the electricity industry. The structural analysis reveals the industry's role in Spain and the importance of its activities. None of the electricity generating businesses is a Rasmussen key sector, and generating and distribution are both capital-intensive activities. Meanwhile, conventional thermal and hydropower generating together make up more than 50% of total output in value terms, while nuclear power accounts for only around 7%. Finally, imports and exports of electricity are small, and almost all demand is covered by domestic production.