After Spain’s Hottest Summer on Record, Viera Consulting Guides Northern European Heat Network Operator into the Country’s District Cooling Market

Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 13, 2026 – A Northern European district heating and cooling operator has entered Spain’s district cooling market with a strategy built around mid-sized urban and industrial schemes, following an engagement led by Amsterdam-based strategy firm Viera Consulting. The operator has formed a joint venture with a Spanish industrial services group and agreed heads of terms for its first two schemes, which together are expected to reduce evening peak electricity demand by around 10 MW compared with conventional air-cooled systems.

The entry follows the hottest summer Spain has recorded in at least 150 years, with 61 days of heatwave conditions between 20 June and 7 September, according to the state meteorological agency AEMET. Air conditioning pushed peak power demand up by as much as 11% during the June and July heatwaves, according to Ember, and the pressure was greatest in the evening, when solar output fell while cooling demand stayed high. On 23 July, Spanish power prices exceeded €250/MWh for the first time since 2022. District cooling, by contrast, remains relatively new in Spain, where most buildings are still cooled by individual systems.

Viera Consulting assessed more than 25 developments for the operator, testing each against customer density, contract structure and the timing of anchor demand. The analysis pointed away from flagship regeneration schemes, where established operators hold strong positions and some timelines were tied to EU recovery funding that closed at the end of August, and toward mid-sized schemes progressing on their own commercial timetables. Viera Consulting also mapped the municipal permitting pathway and the requirements set out in Spain’s draft Royal Decree on district heating and cooling, assessed reclaimed water sourcing, and tested three entry models with the board before recommending a joint venture and leading the partner search through to signing.

The first two schemes, a mixed-use development in Madrid and a food-processing and logistics park in Andalusia, have a combined planned cooling capacity of around 45 MW. Both bring practices from Northern European heat networks into a cooling context. Thermal energy storage will be charged in the middle of the day, when solar output is high and power is cheapest, and discharged in the evening, when the grid is under the most strain. Reclaimed water from municipal treatment plants will be used for heat rejection, addressing one of district cooling’s main drawbacks in a drought-prone country: its water consumption. At the Andalusian park, heat rejected by the chillers will be recovered to supply process hot water for food production, an approach widely used in Northern European networks that is still rare in Southern Europe. The joint venture has begun the municipal permitting process for both schemes and is assessing data centre campuses around Madrid as a second phase.

“This summer showed that Spain’s cooling challenge peaks in the evening, when solar output falls and power is at its most expensive,” said Benjamin Orlov, Partner at Viera Consulting. “Mid-sized districts and industrial zones are moving ahead on their own timelines, and they suit operators who know how to run networks efficiently over decades. Northern European heat network expertise is relevant here because of the operating discipline it brings. That means storing energy, reusing heat and treating water as a constraint from the first day of design.”

About Viera Consulting

From Amsterdam, Viera Consulting works with leaders who shape Europe’s energy systems, industrial base and climate agenda. The firm guides utilities, manufacturers and investors through high-stakes decisions, from re-shaping energy portfolios and repositioning industrial assets to building growth platforms for emerging transition markets. Its work spans transition strategy, market entry and growth, industrial decarbonisation and transaction support. Learn more at www.vieraconsulting.org.

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