Aragón partially approves the Rhodes plan in Calatorao

The Government of Aragon approved, on a partial final basis, the Aragon General Interest Plan “Rhodes Project” on September 28, 2026, in the municipality of Calatorao (Zaragoza), promoted by Calanza Inmuebles, SL. The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 190, dated September 30, 2026, via Order VFL/1400/2026, dated September 28, signed by counselor Octavio López Rodríguez. The approval is partial because the integrated environmental authorization for the data center is still being processed by the Aragonese Institute of Environmental Management (INAGA).

The project was declared an investment of regional interest and of general interest to Aragon by agreement of the Government of Aragon on October 14, 2024 (BOA number 202, dated October 16, 2024), under article 7 bis of Decree-law 1/2008, dated October 30. This declaration entails preferential and urgent processing and a 50% reduction in the ordinary deadlines for administrative procedures.

The scope was redefined twice: by agreement on June 27, 2025 (BOA number 153, dated August 11, 2025) and by agreement on July 29, 2026 (BOA number 159, dated August 18, 2026), which removed 14 plots, incorporated 12 new ones, and declared the public utility and urgent occupation of the affected assets, recognizing Calanza Inmuebles, SL as the beneficiary of the expropriation.

A data campus over 223 hectares

The plan organizes the industrial developable land sector SUI-4, with 2,234,087.95 m² (223.4 hectares), and redefines it as SUI-4 “Campus Data Center”. The main planning figures are:

Total lucrative buildability: 901,400 m².
Industrial and technological plot (ILT): 1,274,807.33 m², with 790,000 m² buildable.
Industrial logistics plot (IL): 174,235.86 m², with 111,400 m² buildable.
Open spaces and green areas: 474,573.99 m².
Public roads: 134,374.70 m².
Urban services: 176,096.07 m².
Parking: 1,060 spaces, 530 of which are on public roads.

The plan includes eight data center buildings and their execution in two phases, along with external connections: the “Rhodes” 220/33 kV substation, the 220 kV overhead-underground line, and the 15 kV underground line, which also affect La Almunia de Doña Godina, Alfamén, Lucena de Jalón, and Épila.

Favorable reports and allegations

During the processing, 14 favorable reports were issued by regional and state bodies, including the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, the General Directorate of Roads of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, and INAGA, which issued four environmental resolutions on July 23 and 31, 2026. There were 24 personalized consultations and 12 requests for reports, and 11 allegations were received from entities and individuals, including Acuaes, Red Eléctrica de España SAU, Nedgia Aragón SA, Exolum Corporation SA, Telefónica, the Federation of Ecologists in Action of Aragon, and the Ecology and Freedom Association.

The Calatorao City Council registered two allegations on September 15, 2026, and requested that the approval of the land redistribution project be conditional upon the construction of a 2,500 m² warehouse for municipal storage.

Agreement and commitments with the municipality

The agreement approves the inter-administrative convention between the Government of Aragon, the Calatorao City Council, and the developer, and authorizes its signature by Councilor Octavio López Rodríguez. The text includes:

The transfer to the City Council of 785,044.76 m² of public facilities.
The maintenance of the urbanization by the owners for at least 10 years from its total reception.
The construction, by Calanza Inmuebles, SL, of a warehouse of approximately 2,500 m² for machinery storage and security cameras in public spaces.
The financing by the developer of the improvement of the municipality’s hydraulic infrastructure.
A validity period of four years, extendable for another four.

No new transfer of 10% of the land use nor the payment of the municipal fee is required, as the plan does not increase the land use compared to the previous planning.

Against the agreement, which exhausts the administrative route, an optional appeal for reversal may be filed within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Aragon within two months. The approval enables the direct execution of the urbanization and the external connection projects, but the eight data center buildings must still pass the environmental impact assessment and the integrated environmental authorization.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 190, of September 30, 2026, section III. Other Provisions and Agreements (official reference: BOA20260930013).