- The day electricity also started hanging up the “sold out” signPosted by Eva Linares on Linked
- In on March 10, 2026,
- Why Anticipating Electricity Capacity Is Becoming StrategicThere’s a very common situation when you’re traveling by car and decide not to book a hotel.
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.
今は繁忙期ではない。会議も開かれていない。ホテルは数十軒ある。
So you book late. Or even on the same day.
And when you arrive in the city… everything is fully booked.
If you’re the type who plans ahead, this has probably never happened to you.
But if you’ve ever planned a trip on the fly, you know the feeling: stress, uncertainty, and the uncomfortable question of what to do next.
電力分野でも、同様の動きが見られ始めている。
And the same goes for energy cost optimization.
- エネルギーは、もはや価格だけでなく、アクセスが重要になりつつある
長年にわたり、企業におけるエネルギーに関する議論は、ある一つの問いを中心に展開されてきた。
「私たちはエネルギーをいくらで買うのでしょうか？」
But now another question is beginning to emerge—one that until recently seemed unlikely:
「必要な時に接続できる余裕はあるのでしょうか？」
According to data published by Red Eléctrica, only 25% of the connection points in the transmission grid currently have available capacity for new demand.
In other words: three out of every four “outlets” on the grid are already saturated.
そして、これは新しい産業だけに限った話ではありません。
It affects expansions, new production facilities, data centers, and urban development projects.
And, of course, it can also affect your company.
- A problem that almost no one seesWhen it starts to get overloaded, you don’t notice it.
When it’s overloaded, you don’t notice it.
There are no visible traffic jams.
赤信号はありません。
There is no clear sign that the system is reaching its limit.
とはいえ、その影響は計り知れないほど大きい。
You surely remember last year’s massive blackout; it came 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.
つまり、その問題は請求書には反映されないということです。
It shows up when your company wants to grow.
- When energy ceases to be a purchasing itemIn many executive committees, energy is still treated as a purchasing department item.
The price is negotiated, the contract is signed, and the matter is filed away as “resolved.”
But when the infrastructure starts to reach capacity, that approach is no longer enough.
Because it’s no longer just about how much energy costs.
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.
そうなれば、エネルギーはもはや運用上の問題ではなくなります。
それは戦略的な判断となります。
- みんなが同じ部屋を欲しがるとき
The problem isn’t that there’s a shortage of electricity.
実際、スペインでは再生可能エネルギーの発電量が過去最高を更新している。
The real problem is something else: 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.
まるでホテルだらけの街のようなもの……でも、空いている部屋はほとんどない。
- The difference between planning ahead and being late to the partyWhen you travel to a city hosting a major event, there are two types of travelers.
数ヶ月前から予約する人。
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 a better chance of securing that desired connection.
Those who wait until the last minute face a problem that has nothing to do with price.
それは送電網の空き容量次第です。
- The questions a CEO should start asking themselves
If your company relies on electricity to grow, run processes, or expand production, you might want to start asking yourself some questions:
- 当社の成長計画に必要な電力供給能力は確保できているでしょうか？
- 接続ニーズに対して、十分な余裕を持って見込んでいるだろうか？
- Are we treating energy as an operational risk or just as a purchase?
- 新規接続が2～3年遅れた場合、それが当社の事業にどのような影響を与えるか、把握していますか？
- はっきりさせておくべきことが一つあるからです：
- 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-hour.
The real mistake is usually realizing too late that there is no available capacity when your company needs to grow.
そうなれば、問題はもはや価格ではなくなります。
The problem is that there’s no outlet.
And at that point, there’s nothing left to do but wait for capacity to become available on the network.
何年もかかることもある。
- Traveling with a reservation or relying on luck
At this point, I’m sure your company doesn’t want to rely on luck.
Companies that plan their grid access in advance have room to make decisions.
単にシステムの可用性に依存しないもの。
コスト管理はあくまで一つの側面だからです。
そして、不確実性への対処はまた別問題だ。
If you want to analyze your company’s exposure to this problem and explore options for anticipating it, we can review it together.
Because in the energy sector, getting there first often makes all the difference.
今週も読んでいただき、ありがとうございます。
Have a great day.
