Spain is still not on track to reach its target of 50GW of wind capacity by 2030, despite at least 11GW of new projects receiving favourable environmental impact assessments (EIAs) in recent weeks, Spanish wind lobby group AEE told Argus.
New wind additions in 2022 failed to keep pace with the 2.2 GW/yr required to ensure that Spain remains on track to meet its 2030 legislated target of just above 50GW, according to AEE. The lobby group stressed that this delay was partly because "the speed of administrative processing has not been sufficient". Installed wind capacity reached 29.73GW in 2022, up by 1.13GW from 28.60GW in 2021, according to provisional power grid operator REE data.
AEE estimates that 11GW of proposed wind projects received favourable EIAs in the latest round of signoffs on 25 January. This was the government's final deadline for a decision from either the central government or the autonomous regions for all projects that received access and connection rights between December 2017 and June 2020. In the same process, 3GW of proposed wind projects received negative EIAs, and will no longer move ahead.
The EIAs are an early but essential phase of the planning process for any future renewable projects in Spain that aims to ensure projects co-exist well with the environment and wildlife of a proposed site.
The total number of favourable EIAs is expected to increase again in February, with several projects requiring signoff before their access and connection permits, signed in the third quarter of 2020, expire. Proposed projects have 31 months from receiving the permits to achieve a favourable EIA.
EIA process by numbers
The vast majority of autonomous regions were able to process all EIA applications by the 25 January deadline, but AEE estimates that there are GWs of capacity either still waiting for a final decision or that would no longer go ahead.
Spain's ecological transition ministry, responsible for issuing EIAs to projects with capacity above 50MW, successfully processed all relevant applications, it said. It granted a total of 154 favourable EIAs out of a total of 202 requests by the deadline. The government approved 35.8GW of new renewable projects, both solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind, which will now continue to the next stage of the planning process.
The vast majority of approved projects are subject to conditions which, if not met, will invalidate the EIA. And of the approved projects, 75pc were modified to reduce their size, the government said.
The total capacity of projects receiving favourable EIAs was 4.1GW in Andalusia, according to the ministry. And in Castilla y Leon, applications covering 7.4GW were approved out of the 8.6GW requested.
AEE has urged governments across the various levels involved in the assessment process to ensure that the delivery of EIAs is consistent and continues at January's pace "to compensate for the little processing that has been carried out".
Major projects approved
Several firms will now be able to move forward with large new PV and wind developments, with Spanish renewables producer Solaria granted EIAs for 4GW of new solar capacity.
Solaria has received favourable assessments for nearly all of its planned Spanish solar portfolio, which includes further developments at the 626MW Cifuentes-Trillo complex, the 695MW Barcina-Garona complex and the 962MW Villaviciosa project. And Spanish utility Naturgy received favourable EIAs for 18 projects, including the 300MW Campo de Aranuelo solar farm, its largest proposed PV project in Spain.
Firms Statkraft and Grenergy also received favourable assessments for large capacity volumes in the latest round, securing approval for 260MW and 500MW of projects, respectively.
AEE expects the average time from a positive EIA assessment to producing electricity to be two years.
