Publication: La red nacional y la integración de los mercados eléctricos españoles durante los años de entreguerras. ¿Otra oportunidad perdida?
Loading...
Identifiers
Publication date
2005
Defense date
Authors
Advisors
Tutors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto Laureano Figuerola: Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales
Impact
Export
Abstract
Este artículo examina la oportunidad del tendido de una red nacional de interconexión eléctrica con anterioridad a la Guerra Civil. Estas mallas se comenzaron a tender en Francia, Suiza o Gran Bretaña durante el decenio de 1920, despertando en España un vivo interés entre los técnicos y en la propia Administración, que promovió sucesivos concursos para la información del proyecto. Sin embargo, ninguno de los planes prosperó y hubo que esperar casi medio siglo para ver concluido el cableado de la península. Aquí se describe el estado de la transmisión eléctrica en España hasta 1936 y se analizan las causas de la contención pública. Se arguye que la red no hubiera resuelto por sí sola los bajos rendimientos del sector eléctrico prebélico, en tanto ésta no representaba una alternativa a la construcción de grandes centrales dotadas de embalse, sino sólo una parte de las inversiones precisas para un eventual proyecto de electrificación a gran escala.
This essay examines the opportunity of erecting a national electricity network before 1936. Regional markets were created by coordinating electricity networks in France, Switzerland and Great Britain during the twenties. In Spain, a review of technical journals indicates that this issue had become significant in the nationalistic economic policy environment of the inter-war period. The Spanish Government made several attempts at setting up a national electricity grid through public tenders. However, none of the projects succeeded and the development of an electricity-grid was left to private firms’ initiative and the network did not achieve a national coverage until the 1980s. Seen from the standpoint of the 1930s, the high investment costs the interconnection required rendered this project unfeasible. As a matter of fact, a national-grid may not have represented an alternative to dam-building in order to improve the efficiency of the Spanish electrical system.
This essay examines the opportunity of erecting a national electricity network before 1936. Regional markets were created by coordinating electricity networks in France, Switzerland and Great Britain during the twenties. In Spain, a review of technical journals indicates that this issue had become significant in the nationalistic economic policy environment of the inter-war period. The Spanish Government made several attempts at setting up a national electricity grid through public tenders. However, none of the projects succeeded and the development of an electricity-grid was left to private firms’ initiative and the network did not achieve a national coverage until the 1980s. Seen from the standpoint of the 1930s, the high investment costs the interconnection required rendered this project unfeasible. As a matter of fact, a national-grid may not have represented an alternative to dam-building in order to improve the efficiency of the Spanish electrical system.
Description
Keywords
Industria eléctrica, Transmisión eléctrica, Regulación de mercados eléctricos, Electrical industry, Electricity-grid, Electricity market regulation
Bibliographic citation
Revista de Historia Económica Año XXIII verano 2005 n. 2 pp. 269-297