Low profits for Spanish coal plants may accelerate phase-out

The Litoral de Almeria coal-fired power plant. (Endesa)

Spanish power company Endesa will close its As Pontes and Litoral de Almeria coal-fired power plants nearly 10 years earlier than expected amid poor profitability. As the profit margins of gas-fired power plants in Spain continue to rise, Endesa’s decision could give gas an additional boost in the country’s power mix.

Endesa was already expected to close its Compostilla and Andorra coal-fired power plants in June 2020. These two facilities are old and inefficient – having been built in 1965 and 1981 respectively – and do...