The government has allocated oxygen balloons to hundreds of new renewable projects in a bid to keep them alive. The macro decree approved by the Council of Ministers this week includes a six‑month extension to help envisaged renewable power plants secure building permits.
A standing extension comes as a lifeline for hundreds of plants branded as a salvation in excess. Without this permission by July 25, many projects would lose their critical electrical connection point and be forced back to the start of a lengthy bureaucratic process that often stretched over five years.
The deadline set at the close of the legislative period with the Statutory Decree buys time for nearly a thousand green projects at risk of stumbling. Yet voices from the renewables sector warn that this is only a patch for an imminent problem. The industry anticipates future bottlenecks as facilities still must begin operations within a broader timeline, a challenge left unresolved by the current administration.
Wind and photovoltaic companies warn that the real crunch will come later. The government has granted another six months to obtain the building permit, but the operational deadlines for facilities that began the process years ago remain largely untouched—many should be fully functional by June 25, 2025.
It will take even more time
Industry leaders caution renewables that a collapse remains a risk. They expect intensified factory construction over the next two years and criticize the government for not extending the administrative milestones or extending deadlines, while calling for a successor administration to grant additional time to avert the collapse of roughly a thousand plants. This assessment is supported by reports from EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA, citing multiple renewables sector sources.
Supply chains are nearing saturation, hindering the ability to build new facilities quickly. The same services are in demand not only to install solar panels or wind turbines on schedule but also to secure construction crews, transport equipment, hire cranes, and ensure adequate labor to complete plants.
Renewable firms warn that doubts about meeting project deadlines could jeopardize bank financing. Small and medium energy groups, lacking the financial muscle to fund large investments, risk failing to secure the capital needed to move forward.
A thousand facilities of 68,000 MW are suspended
Last January, projects totaling 58,000 MW received the mandatory environmental impact statement to advance their plans. This was one of several bureaucratic steps required before factories could begin operations.
After the environmental declaration, most projects in the pipeline had obtained prior administrative approvals from central authorities (for projects above 50 MW) or autonomous communities (for smaller projects) before April 25. They then faced the requirement to obtain an administrative building permit by July 25.
Projects totaling 15,000 MW had already secured this final permit, but the remaining 43,000 MW faced declines in the coming weeks as deadline pressures, project changes, and new requests created obstacles. In addition to these 43,000 MW, another 10,000 MW that have additional time will also benefit from the six‑month extension, according to sources from the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
“The government has solved a short‑term problem, yet it has forgotten the medium and long term,” noted a sector executive. “Giving a six‑month window to obtain permits helps, but not all permitted facilities can become operational within those timeframes.”
Total, about 1,000 projects totaling 68,000 MW must complete civil works in just over two years. Sixty percent of the capacity is tied to rules that must be met by June 25, 2025, with an additional 10,000 MW granted a somewhat longer timetable. Industry insiders anticipate another extension will be necessary and expect the next government to grant more time to avoid a widespread collapse of factories.
Urgent or not
In this cycle, the Ministry of Ecological Transition, led by Vice President Teresa Ribera, is unlikely to have the extension of administrative deadlines extended beyond mid‑2025 as an emergency measure. The renewables sector rejects this stance, arguing that securing financing and establishing supplier agreements makes a timely extension essential to obtain the final permits and bring plants online.
The government recently started updating the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), the green roadmap for 2030 aimed at expanding clean energy deployment and cutting emissions. The draft envisions more renewables, including wind, solar, green hydrogen, and storage, and proposes a target increase from the previous plan of 59,000 MW to a total of 105,000 MW over the decade 2021–2030. In practical terms, this means boosting existing green capacity by about 85,000 MW.
From the renewables sector, governments across political lines have been urged to meet the PNIEC target and prevent the collapse of the 68,000 MW currently in the pipeline. The push is for stable timelines, financing, and a predictable regulatory environment to sustain the transition to cleaner energy.