The numbers speak for themselves. According to official data managed by the General Directorate of Energy and Mining, 231 solar installation files have been processed in the Valencian Community in the last five yearsTogether they had a power of 2,761 megawatts. Only 18 of them, with a total power of 152 megawatts, are in operation, 55 have permits but are still under construction, and 82 have had their applications rejected. To this we must add the 69 whose beneficiaries abandoned or gave up the permits and the seven who remained in previous consultations.
Of the 74 cases solved in the province of Alicante with a power of 899 megawatts, Only five of the 44 megawatts have become reality25 of them are waiting for construction. A further 25 applications were rejected, 18 were withdrawn and one remained in initial consultations.
Almost all of these procedures were carried out during Botànic’s tenure, when requests piled up due to the exasperating slowness in resolving the files. leaves the Valencian Community behind the line in the deployment of renewable energies. Differences between the different departments involved, such as Territorio led by PSPV and Ecological Transition and Economy led by Compromís, were partly behind these delays. In fact, one of the arguments brought to the table to justify the dismissal of Mireia Mollà as Minister of Ecological Transition was this.
Be that as it may, the fact is that the new Government led by Carlos Mazón had to unravel all the accumulated files. There are currently 415 in operation with a power of 5,547 megawatts, of which 149 with a capacity of 1,967 megawatts correspond to the Alicante region. The Generalitat is responsible for the processing of projects up to 50 megawatts, since from then on the responsibility lies with the Ministry of Ecological Transition. In this sense, there are all kinds of plants among the files examined. When it comes to those that need to be processed urgently, there are three in the province of Alicante with close to 50 megawatts..
Manuel Argüelles, General Manager of Energy and Mining, says: The new Administrator will do everything possible to speed up the fileswith a commitment to resolve issues ending before the deadline. In his words, “The whole government is moving towards this goal, because we need to be dominant in energy matters, and renewable energies are crucial to achieving this goal.”
More human resources and better coordination between departments
Manuel Argüelles, General Manager of Energy and Mining, announced that more human resources will be allocated in order to speed up the processing of solar power plant files and try to improve coordination between the different departments involved. “Of course, it won’t be the same thing as it was in the previous legislature, where there were political rules, different sensitivities and criteria.” Likewise, formulas will be worked on to prevent municipalities from delaying the construction of licensed facilities, as is currently the case. Argüelles likewise suggests that self-consumption and energy communities will continue to be encouraged.