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For the first time in its history, the Region of Murcia generated more than half of its electricity from renewable sources in a single month. June 2026 saw renewables account for 50.7% of total energy production, up from 38.3% in June last year, a rise of more than 12 percentage points in just twelve months.

 

The figures come from Red Eléctrica and were announced by Regional Minister for the Environment Juan María Vázquez, who described 2026 as "the year in which, thanks mainly to our sun, renewable energy surpassed traditional fuels." Of the 889,301 megawatt-hours generated in June, more than 451,000 came from clean sources, the majority from solar photovoltaic installations across the region.

 

The scale of what Murcia has built in solar capacity in recent years is striking. Since 2023, installed photovoltaic power has grown from 1,827 megawatts to 3,349 megawatts, an increase of 83%.

 

Vázquez put that number in context with a comparison that lands rather well: "In terms of power, the 3,349 megawatts of photovoltaic solar power already installed in the Region of Murcia are equivalent to the power that three nuclear power plants would generate." Solar has now overtaken combined cycle gas plants to become the region's leading energy source.

 

The minister was equally direct about what's driving this. "Our true 'oil' is the 3,300 hours of sunshine per year that our solar panels harness," he said. It's a line that sums up the region's natural advantage pretty neatly. Murcia's geography and climate, the same qualities that make it attractive to tourists and farmers, are now doing serious work in the energy sector too.

 

There's a practical consequence as well. The push for renewables has reduced Murcia's dependence on imported fuels. The share of the energy mix coming from natural gas or oil has fallen by more than 12 percentage points and now sits below 50% for the first time.

 

The overall growth in renewable generation for June was 32% year on year, according to Red Eléctrica's data. Whether that pace continues through the second half of the year remains to be seen, but June's figures suggest the region's energy transition is well past the point of no return.

 

 

 

Image: Ayuntamientos de Mula and Murcia