Why Anticipating Electricity Capacity Is Becoming a Strategic Move
There’s a very common scenario when you’re traveling by car and decide not to book a hotel in advance.
You want to keep the freedom to choose as you go, so you drive along calmly, thinking that when the time comes, you’ll find a room without any trouble.
It’s not peak season. There are no conferences. There are dozens of hotels.
So you book late. Or even on the same day.
And when you arrive in the city… everything is full.
If you’re the type who plans ahead, this has probably never happened to you.
But if you’ve ever improvised a trip, you know the feeling: stress, uncertainty, and the uncomfortable question of what to do now.
Something similar is starting to happen with electricity.
And with energy cost optimization as well.
Energy is becoming about access, not just prices
For years, the energy conversation in companies has revolved around one question:
“At what price do we buy energy?”
But now another question is beginning to emerge - one that until recently seemed unlikely:
“Will there be capacity to connect us when we need it?”
According to data published by Red Eléctrica, only 25% of the transmission grid’s connection points currently have available capacity for new demand.
In other words: three out of every four “outlets” on the grid are already saturated.
And this doesn’t just affect new industries.
It affects expansions, new production facilities, data centers, and urban developments.
And, of course, it can also affect your company.
A problem that almost no one sees
The power grid has a peculiarity.
When it starts to get saturated, you don’t notice it.
When it is saturated, you don’t notice it.
There are no visible lines.
There are no red lights.
There is no clear signal indicating that the system is reaching its limit.
And yet, the impact can be enormous.
You surely remember last year’s massive blackout; it arrived without warning and faded from our memory. No one saw it coming.
According to energy analysts themselves, a collapsed grid can delay the establishment of new industries or strategic investments for years.
In other words: the problem doesn’t show up on the bill.
It shows up when your company wants to grow.
When energy stops being a purchasing line item
In many executive committees, energy is still treated as a line item in the purchasing department.
The price is negotiated, the contract is signed, and the matter is filed away as “resolved.”
But when the infrastructure starts to become overloaded, that approach is no longer enough.
Because it’s no longer just about how much energy costs.
It’s about whether you’ll be able to access it when your business needs it.
And at that point, energy ceases to be an operational issue.
It becomes a strategic decision.
When Everyone Wants the Same Room
The problem isn’t a lack of electricity.
In fact, Spain is breaking records for renewable energy generation.
The real problem is this: while more and more energy is being produced, the grid that must transport it isn’t growing at the same pace.
By 2024, around 8% of the renewable energy generated was already being wasted, and by 2025 that figure had doubled.
Meanwhile, new industries wait years to get connected - that plug they need to start operating.
It’s like a city full of hotels… but with very few rooms available.
The difference between planning and arriving late
When you travel to a city hosting a major event, there are two types of travelers.
Those who book months in advance.
And those who arrive thinking that, somehow, they’ll find something.
In the energy sector, unfortunately, there are still many companies that operate like those second types of travelers.
Companies that anticipate what they will need in the future - whether new plants, expansions, or process electrification -have more leeway to secure that desired connection.
Those that wait until the last minute face a problem that doesn’t depend on price.
It depends on the available capacity in the grid.
The questions a CEO should start asking
If your company depends on electricity to grow, to run processes, or to expand production, you might want to start asking yourself some questions:
- Do we have the electrical capacity secured for our growth plans?
- Are we anticipating connection needs with sufficient margin?
- Are we considering energy as an operational risk or just as a purchase?
- Do we know how a two- or three-year delay in a new connection would affect our business?
Because there’s something we need to be clear about: the power grid is not an unlimited resource.
The problem isn’t paying more for electricity
The strategic mistake rarely lies in paying a few cents more per kilowatt.
The real mistake is usually discovering too late that there is no available capacity when your company needs to grow.
And then the problem is no longer the price.
The problem is that there’s no outlet.
And at that point, there’s no choice but to wait for capacity to become available on the grid.
Something that can take years.
Planning ahead or relying on luck
By now, I’m sure you don’t want your company to rely on luck.
Companies that plan their grid access in advance have room to make decisions.
Those that don’t simply depend on the system’s availability.
Because managing costs is one thing.
And managing uncertainty is quite another.
If you want to analyze your company’s exposure to this problem and what options exist to anticipate it, we can review it together.
Because in energy, getting there first often makes all the difference.
Thank you for reading another week.
Have a great day.
