Permits to connect to the national electrical grid have surged in value across Spain in recent years, driven by a wave of new production facilities, renewable energy developments, and large industrial projects. These permits have become highly coveted, sometimes traded or speculated over by interested parties seeking an edge in a competitive market.
The government is actively expanding electricity networks to prevent bottlenecks in regions where new renewable installations concentrate and power outages have begun to rise. A broad, forward-looking electricity plan is being crafted to address growing demand from modern industry and clean energy initiatives, ensuring the grid can handle the expected load in the coming years.
Over the last few years, measures implemented by the Ministry of Ecological Transition have aimed to curb speculation around grid-connection permits. Requirements for financial guarantees have risen, and developers must meet clear milestones showing real progress rather than mere planning documents.
Today, the government is tackling speculative practices after a surge in bids from large electricity consumers. The aim is to disrupt the circulation of phantom plans and the influence exercised by industrial and technological groups that can block access for other credible projects with a higher likelihood of implementation.
project bubble
To screen these activities, authorities have leveraged the omnibus decree, which packages urgent economic measures and legal reforms. The decree introduces new conditions for successful bidders seeking permission to connect to electricity transport and distribution networks for light-consumption facilities. It also addresses the link between the green hydrogen boom, energy storage projects, and new digital data centers, promising an end to speculative hoarding of network access.
There is a noticeable rise in requests to access networks for new consumption needs. As observed during the earlier generation surge between 2018 and 2020, growth can be extraordinarily rapid in some cases, while others stall. The decree explains the need for controls to prevent hoarding of access rights by projects lacking a credible development path. The decree was approved by the Council of Ministers last week, and its provisions underscore the risk of bottlenecks if access rights are not clearly time-bound and monitored.
What you need to avoid losing your license
The updated regulation, backed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition under Vice President Teresa Ribera, requires substantial economic guarantees for large electricity consumption projects seeking access to high or medium voltage networks. Typically, guarantees are set at around 40,000 euros per megawatt of requested capacity, or 20,000 euros for storage-focused schemes.
Permits can be withdrawn, along with the posted guarantees, if a project fails to show credible progress after five years from the date of permit receipt. To maintain eligibility, a project must demonstrate ongoing development and secure an access agreement for contracted power of at least 1,000 euros per unit of capacity, with access rights retained for up to half of the project’s total capacity. If the agreement is not sustained for at least three years, the permit may be revoked.
In parallel, the government is introducing new rules for competition over grid access among large electricity users at strategic infrastructure points. Awards will consider the maturity of the project, the scale of the investments, and the project’s contribution to decarbonizing energy consumption, among other factors.”