21st-century Europe faces an energy demand far greater than at any point in the past, not only to supply homes, factories and transport systems, but also to sustain a rapidly expanding digital economy in which data centres have become essential infrastructure, needed to support the rollout of artificial intelligence, cloud computing and every digital service that depends on them.
But not just any energy source will do: it must be sufficient, reliable and, above all, sustainable. In this scenario, Spain finds itself in a contradiction that is difficult to justify: despite being among the European countries with the largest installed capacity of renewables - particularly solar and wind, it ends up wasting an increasing share of that clean electricity due to the lack of adequate infrastructure and efficient international interconnections.
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The reality is that Spain has barely 3% electricity interconnection capacity with the rest of Europe, far from the 15% target set by the European Union itself. This weakness effectively turns us into an energy island. It limits security of supply, reduces the system's flexibility, and stops us from acting as the great exporter of renewable energy we could be.
This limitation creates a double vulnerability: at peak renewable generation there is not enough capacity to export the surpluses, and when production falls, the ability to import electricity is just as limited. The INELFE link, operational since 2015 between Spain and France, using direct current technology and buried cables, illustrates both the potential and the inadequacy of the current model. It accounts for roughly half of all electricity interconnections in the entire Iberian Peninsula.
Its importance was made plain during the great blackout: after the French grid disconnected, this link was crucial to restoring supply in northern Spain and, progressively, in the rest of the country. The south also played a meaningful role: Morocco mobilised up to 38% of its generation capacity through the Strait cables to help bring the Andalusian grid back online. The lesson is clear: interconnections work — and they rescue entire systems.
Morocco mobilised up to 38% of its generation capacity through the Strait cables.
Yet the development of new interconnections with France is moving slowly, weighed down by a complex mix of technical, regulatory and political obstacles. On top of that, the connection with Morocco despite having proven its strategic value at critical moments, remains limited and subject to a delicate geopolitical framework, which prevents its potential from being fully realised.
This means the energy challenges of the 21st century demand more than simply extending inherited schemes or doubling down on the inertias of the past. They require opening new connection routes, diversifying energy corridors, and weaving alliances based on shared interests and needs. It is in this context that Ireland emerges as an unexpected partner but one with obvious strategic value.
Ireland is today one of the great technological hubs of Europe. Its digital economy already accounts for 13% of GDP, and it hosts the European headquarters of giants such as Google, Meta and Microsoft. That dynamism comes with an enormous energy cost. Data centres installed in Ireland already consume 22% of the country's electricity, compared with a European average of 2–3%. According to official figures, by 2030, driven by artificial intelligence and the expansion of the cloud they could represent a third of national electricity demand. The system operator, EirGrid, is already warning of an increasingly stretched grid.
The equation is simple: Ireland needs much more energy, and it needs it clean; Spain generates renewable surpluses but lacks sufficient outlets. A submarine cable connecting both Atlantic coasts is not an exotic idea — it is a logical, mutually beneficial and fully European solution.
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It is worth remembering, however, that major electrical infrastructures are not improvised: they require years of planning, rigorous environmental assessments, multi-million-euro investments and above all, sustained political will, capable of outlasting electoral cycles. But in a context where the European Union is simultaneously pursuing digital transformation, energy autonomy and climate neutrality, ignoring initiatives like a Spain–Ireland interconnection amounts to accepting the waste of strategic resources.
Major electrical infrastructures are not improvised.
Other countries are already moving in that direction with a far more decisive strategic vision. The United Kingdom, for example, has recently approved a new electricity interconnection that is key to the future of its energy system: the Eastern Green Link 2. The new corridor, with a capacity of 2,000 MW, will connect Fife, in Scotland, with Norfolk, in England, using high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology. Its entry into operation is scheduled for 2033, and it will transport enough renewable energy to supply more than 1.5 million homes, reinforcing security of supply and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
So, Spain cannot afford to keep underusing its renewable potential while other Member States remain dependent on fossil sources. Ireland, in turn, can hardly sustain its digital ambition on fossil imports or on a permanently stretched grid. And ultimately, Europe does not need more declarations of intent, it needs infrastructure and bold agreements. Because the energy and digital future of the continent will not be built in isolation, but interconnected. And if we are not capable of moving forward now, at the moment when need and opportunity converge, the question will no longer be whether we are late: it will be why we let a historic opportunity slip away.