A few months ago, the renewable energy sector faced intense scrutiny as new facilities under construction were evaluated for environmental impact. In January, hundreds of projects could not proceed because they had not yet produced the required environmental impact statement, blocking the long path to securing all necessary permits and becoming operational within the following years.
Since then, many affected energy companies have found themselves constrained in their efforts to overturn the initial exclusion from the renewable energy boom. This has led to the loss of a vital permit to connect to the electricity grid. The National Markets and Competition Commission CNMC has repeatedly rejected objections from electricity companies for months and, in a further development, has issued decisions that affect the interests of energy firms. Precautionary measures to protect access to the grid were also denied in several cases.
Energy groups must meet tight deadlines to obtain administrative permits or risk losing their point of grid connection, effectively forcing them back to the start of a lengthy bureaucratic process that can stretch for years. In January, projects totaling about 15,000 megawatts were excluded, roughly a fifth of those seeking to advance. Some companies chose to skip this stage entirely. This pause prompted dozens of complaints against the decision. The operator of the high voltage network, the Spanish Electricity Network REE, will revoke grid access from projects that have not received the mandatory environmental permit. The CNMC has received more than a hundred disputes and has dismissed them in bulk, signaling a pattern of outcomes that mirrors the stance reported by major regional media outlets. This stance has been widely noted across the industry. (Citation: Iberian Press, reporting on REE and CNMC actions.)
Why have dozens of operating renewable energy plants disappeared from REE statistics?
Following the negative ruling by the competition authority, some energy companies continued the legal challenge. As a next step, they appealed to the National Court and sought interim measures to halt the withdrawal of grid access until the court could decide. The aim was to preserve available connection capacity for ongoing projects while the legal process unfolded.
The Court’s Administrative Dispute Division has not yet ruled on the merits, but has issued roughly a dozen orders over the past two months that consistently reject injunctions sought by different energy groups. The rulings have allowed wind and solar projects to proceed where allowed by law. (Citation: Court records and industry reports.)
One in five projects, KO
Last January, the government and the autonomous communities rejected a substantial share of renewable energy projects. The magnitude varied by project size, but overall more than 15,000 MW, about 20.6 percent of total petitions, saw their rights to connect withdrawn. Among the scrapped projects were 10,500 MW of solar photovoltaics and 4,500 MW of wind farms, according to Red Eléctrica de España REE. Some projects could not even reach the DIA stage due to administrative bottlenecks.
The same month, projects totaling 58,000 MW had already received the environmental impact statement to move forward, marking a significant milestone in the bureaucratic process required before construction can proceed. (Citation: REE records and government summaries.)
Renewables push for another two-year extension to build thousands of green plants
Following the environmental declaration, most ongoing projects secured preliminary permits from central authorities or regional bodies before April 25. They then needed construction permits by July 25, with the central government approving additional projects. The plan remained to have plants operational by mid-2025, incorporating a staged sequence: environmental clearance, construction permits, and finally grid connection and commissioning.
The industry wants more time
The renewable sector now warns of a looming bottleneck in commissioning new plants. Around a thousand green projects face a mid-2025 deadline for establishing operation and maintaining grid access. Trade associations anticipate that intense demand for suppliers could impede timely execution, suggesting that an extra two years might be necessary to prevent the majority of projects from falling through. The government has already granted two extensions to ease the full administrative permit process, extending roughly five years to complete it. In total, about 15 months of support were approved to satisfy milestone requirements, including nine months for the environmental impact statement and six months for construction permits. Authorities later acknowledged pandemic-related delays and administrative backlogs as contributing factors. (Citation: Government statements and industry analyses.)
Ribera delays renewables and resists another extension demanded by hundreds of endangered green plants
Facing mounting industry pressure to push back deadlines, the current administration remains cautious about committing to new renewable projects for the time being. Officials have signaled a willingness to revisit the issue in the future, but immediate extensions are not guaranteed. The sector continues to advocate for additional time to complete the complex permit journey and ensure grid readiness for the next wave of projects. (Citation: Policy briefings and industry assessments.)
Note: This synthesis reflects ongoing regulatory and market dynamics shaping the pace of renewable energy deployment in the region, with particular focus on how environmental approvals, grid access, and construction timelines intersect to determine project viability and industry growth. Citations accompany primary industry sources and judicial rulings to provide context for stakeholders following the developments in renewable energy policy and market access.