Amazon must subject its Illescas wind turbine to an ordinary environmental assessment

The Provincial Delegation for Sustainable Development of Toledo has ruled that the 2.2 MW wind turbine projected by Amazon Spain Fulfillment, SLU for industrial self-consumption at the MAD7 logistics center, in Illescas (Toledo), must undergo an ordinary environmental impact assessment. The decision is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha no. 183, dated September 23, 2026, via the Resolution of 09/14/2026 (reference 2026/6773), which rules out the simplified procedure due to significant effects on the environment, the population, and land-use planning.

The regulatory framework and the file

The report is formulated in accordance with Law 2/2020, of February 7, on Environmental Assessment of Castilla-La Mancha, and in application of Decree 112/2023, of July 25, regarding the organic structure of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, with the competencies delegated by the Resolution of 05/24/2024 of the General Directorate of Environmental Quality. The project falls under Annex II of Royal Decree 445/2023, of June 13, Group 4 (Energy Industry), section h), relating to wind installations not included in Annex I.

The file, identified as S478/TO/2025/00019, began on March 12, 2025, with the request to initiate the simplified assessment before the Environmental Quality Service of Toledo. On April 25, 2025, prior consultations were made with interested administrations and entities, and on January 5, 2026, a report was requested from the City Council of Illescas, whose response on January 21 proved decisive in elevating the procedure to ordinary.

A 130-meter wind turbine within the logistics plot

The projected installation is located entirely within plot 9000 of polygon 19, within Sector SUB SO 06 “Puerto Seco,” in an industrial and anthropized environment. Its technical characteristics are:

• A single wind turbine from the manufacturer Vestas, model V110 or similar, with a nominal power of 2.2 MW.
• Hub height of 75 meters and a rotor 110 meters in diameter, with a maximum total height of 130 meters.
• A 15 kV medium-voltage underground line of 338 meters to the transformation center of the logistics center.
• Zero-injection equipment (model PPC MK5 or similar) to prevent energy discharge into the grid, in accordance with Royal Decree 244/2019.
• An access road of 914 meters from the N-401A roundabout (P.K. 37A+800), assembly platform, and foundation with a circular reinforced concrete footing 20 meters in diameter and 2.8 meters deep.

The promoter evaluated five location alternatives and discarded options M6-01 to M6-04, located outside the industrial estate or in Numancia de la Sagra, due to their greater impact on avifauna and nearby wetlands and their distance from the consumption point.

The City Council questions the height, the noise, and the Puerto Seco

The Illescas City Council ruled on January 21, 2026, that the site was technically and urbanistically unfeasible. Its main objections are:

• Non-compliance with height regulations: the 130 meters triple the limits of 21 and 24 meters set forth in Article 18 of the Urban Regulations of the Partial Plan for Sector SUB SO 06.
• Impact on residential areas: the installation is located less than 400-500 meters from homes on Alhambra and Quero streets, with severe acoustic and visual impact.
• Interference with the future Illescas Dry Port, by occupying the airspace of third-party plots and conditioning the gantry cranes of the intermodal terminal.

The developer alleged on February 27, 2026, that the 24-meter limit applies to buildings and not to industrial installations, that the nearest dwelling is 558 meters away, and that nighttime noise emissions would be below 38 dB(A), complying with Royal Decree 1367/2007. They also maintain that the blade sweep remains within their plot, 195 meters from the boundary.

Protected Avifauna and Cumulative Impact

The Natural Environment Service of the Provincial Delegation for Sustainable Development of Toledo considered the project technically viable but subject to measures, in its report dated December 18, 2025. The wind turbine is located in areas of importance for the Iberian imperial eagle, which is endangered, and the black vulture, which is vulnerable, with the presence of steppe and aquatic avifauna such as the pallid harrier, the Eurasian bustard, or the white stork. The Tagus Hydrographic Confederation further warned about the location in the “Madrid-Talavera-Tiétar” vulnerable zone and regarding the “Talavera” groundwater body.

The resolution concludes that the magnitude of the urban and acoustic discrepancies, combined with the synergistic impact on adjacent strategic infrastructures, makes it impossible to rule out significant effects during the simplified phase. The report is not appealable in itself, without prejudice to any appeals that may be filed against the future project authorization act.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, no. 183, September 23, 2026, section III, pp. 32721-32726 (official reference: 2026/6773).