Spain’s National Strategy to Transition Coal-Dependent Communities

Spain's coal industry has seen a massive decline in employment from 45,000 in 1990 to approximately 1,700 by 2017, driven by EU mandates and the economics of renewable energy. To address the resulting economic distress and depopulation in rural mining towns, the Spanish government implemented the 2019 Just Transition Strategy and the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030. These frameworks utilize 'Just Transition Agreements'—participatory regional action plans—to diversify local economies and support workers through reskilling and early retirement. While the government has established a transparent process and strong stakeholder coordination, challenges remain in redressing decades of economic decline and securing funding for new projects without a dedicated funding pool.

• The Spanish coal industry has experienced a severe contraction in employment and production over three decades, with mine employment dropping from 45,000 in 1990 to about 1,700 today. This decline was driven by factors including the EU's goal of climate-neutrality by 2050, overcapacity in the electrical grid, and the fact that many mines were uncompetitive and relied on 22 billion euros in taxpayer subsidies between 1992 and 2014.
• The 2019 Just Transition Strategy employs 'Just Transition Agreements' as integrated regional action plans to support diversification and employment in high-risk areas, specifically naming Aragón, Castilla y León, and Asturias as communities that still depend heavily on coal mining. These agreements follow a five-step participatory process involving local authorities and other actors to assess job losses and identify regional opportunities.
• The Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 (INECP) sets specific 2030 targets: a 23% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels, a 42% share of renewables in energy end-use, and a 74% share of renewable energy in electricity generation. The plan projects these targets will add between 253,000 and 348,000 jobs per year by 2030.
• Worker support has been managed through various agreements, including the 2018 Plan Del Carbón, which invested 250 million euros in mining regions for early retirement, reskilling, and environmental restoration. Additionally, a 2020 agreement involving the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and energy companies (Endesa, Iberdrola, and Naturgy) addresses the closure of coal-fired thermal power plants affecting approximately 2,300 workers.
• A significant gap in the strategy is the lack of a dedicated funding pool for projects initiated under Just Transition Agreements; instead, these projects rely on technical assistance and preferential access to existing programs and EU funds. Furthermore, the transition is largely reactive, as many mining towns have already suffered depopulation rates as high as 40% before the current strategy was implemented.

APA

World Resources Institute (2021). Spain’s National Strategy to Transition Coal-Dependent Communities. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/spains-national-strategy-transition-coal-dependent-communities

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Spain’s National Strategy to Transition Coal-Dependent Communities. 2021. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/spains-national-strategy-transition-coal-dependent-communities.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Spain’s National Strategy to Transition Coal-Dependent Communities |date=23 December 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/snapshots/spains-national-strategy-transition-coal-dependent-communities |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2021spains, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Spain’s National Strategy to Transition Coal-Dependent Communities}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/snapshots/spains-national-strategy-transition-coal-dependent-communities}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }