Strengthening of the Electricity System by Decree Issued by Transition Ecological
The Spanish government, through the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), has initiated a proposal for a Royal Decree aimed at reinforcing the Spanish electrical system.
The technical proposal, developed by MITECO, tasks Red Eléctrica, the System Operator, with creating efficient and sustainable systems for voltage level control and other elements. These proposals are expected to be ready within three to six months.
The decree also aims to promote the incorporation of storage into the electrical system, with a target capacity of 22.5 GW by 2030. This move is expected to facilitate the dispatch of hybridized installation projects and encourage the connection of new industrial activities to the network.
The decree includes measures to eliminate most obstacles and issues associated with the electrical service, promote self-consumption and storage, and prevent another nationwide blackout.
Electricity demand for electric vehicle charging points and tertiary and residential sectors is promoted with specific response time limits for network extensions.
The proposal emphasizes supervision and control measures to ensure compliance with obligations in the electrical sector. An extraordinary inspection plan of backup capacities will be conducted, focusing on installations with autonomous startup and distribution networks, to be repeated every three years.
Access and connection rights for demand will expire five years after they are granted. The subsequent normative reforms must be analyzed by the competent authorities and, if appropriate, approved within six months.
The decree modifies the authorization of platforms to connect generation or research and development storage installations to the electrical system, allowing for prior administrative and construction authorization for type projects.
The regulatory project defines repowering, a concept included in Directive 2023/2413 (DER III). The proposal encourages the connection of new industrial activities to the network.
It's important to note that the draft decree does not repeat earlier facts about the National Commission on Markets and Competition's evaluation of voltage control obligations, the extraordinary inspection plan, Red Eléctrica's tasks, or the timelines for technical proposals and normative reforms.
Moreover, the draft decree does not mention the lower normative rank of Royal Decree-Law 7/2025. The National Commission on Markets and Competition will continue to evaluate the voltage control obligations of agents in the electrical sector every three months.
The aim of the new decree is to create a more efficient, sustainable, and resilient electrical system, while promoting the use of renewable energy and reducing the risk of blackouts.
