Extramadura and the end of the electricity oligopoly in western Spain during Franco’s rule

Abstract

This article describes the electrification process in the southwest of the peninsula, specifically in the Extremadura region. This area of Spain went from a lack of electrical power in the early 1950s to a surplus during the early 1970s. Research focuses on the origins of this process, long-standing throughout the 20th century but not concretized until well into the 1950s, just when the country seems to finally leave behind the economic legacy of the Civil War. Subsequently, an analysis of the intersecting state and business interests in this matter is carried out, where two of the current companies that dominate the Spanish electricity market each reach a large river (Tajo and Guadiana) in their expansion objectives. The article ends with a reflection on how just when energy autonomy is reached, new interests, derived from nuclear energy, completely change the electrical landscape.