The Government authorizes a 39.6 MW solar battery storage facility in Seville

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has authorized the construction of a new battery energy storage system in the province of Seville. The Resolution of 31 July 2026, issued by the Directorate General for Energy Policy and Mines and signed by its head, Manuel García Hernández, grants Afrodita Solar, SL the prior administrative authorization and the administrative construction authorization for the “BESS Afrodita” module, a 39.6 MW system hybridized with the already existing “Afrodita” solar photovoltaic plant, of 46.2 MW, in the municipality of Los Molares (Seville). The resolution was published in the Official State Gazette number 202, corresponding to Tuesday, 18 August 2026, in section III of Other Provisions, p. 115633 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-17912).

The file was processed by the Industry and Energy Area of the Government Sub-delegation in Seville, in accordance with articles 127 and 131 of Royal Decree 1955/2000, of 1 December. The original application was submitted on 22 December 2025 and corrected on 9 February 2026. The project was subject to public information, with the notice published in the Official State Gazette on 25 February 2026 and in the Official Gazette of the Province of Seville on 13 February 2026, with no objections received.

Technical characteristics of the system

The “BESS Afrodita” storage module will use lithium-ion technology with the following main specifications, according to the approved execution project:

• Installed storage power: 39.60 MW
• Energy storage capacity: 140.42 MWh
• Battery system duration: 4 hours
• Number of inverters: 168, with a maximum power of 236.4 kW each
• Maximum active power of the MV/LV transformer: 39.60 MW
• Maximum active power of the HV/MV transformer: 130 MW
• Generation access capacity (according to permits from Red Eléctrica de España, SAU): 40.83 MW
• Consumption access capacity (according to permits from Red Eléctrica de España, SAU): 40.83 MW

The installation will allow both the storage of energy from the photovoltaic plant and energy purchased from the grid, for subsequent management and delivery to the grid.

Evacuation infrastructure and grid connection

The warehouse will evacuate the energy through a 30 kV underground medium-voltage line that will connect it to a new switching center. From this point, the energy will be channeled toward the Atenea 30/220 kV electrical substation, taking advantage of the existing infrastructure of the photovoltaic plant. The final connection to the transmission grid will be made through the Don Rodrigo 400 kV substation, owned by Red Eléctrica de España, SAU.

The shared evacuation infrastructure includes the Atenea 30/220 kV substation, the 220 kV overhead line to the Marchamorón 220/400 kV substation, and the 400 kV overhead line to the Matallana 220/400 kV substation and, finally, to Don Rodrigo 400 kV. The modification of the Atenea substation was authorized by the Territorial Delegation of Economy, Finance, European Funds, Social Dialogue, and Industry, Energy and Mining in Seville in favor of Atenea Sostenible, S.L., by resolution dated May 14, 2026.

Regulatory framework and environmental exemption

The authorization is based on Law 24/2013, of December 26, on the Electricity Sector, and on Royal Decree 997/2025, of November 5, which approves urgent measures to strengthen the electricity system. This latter royal decree introduces an exemption from the simplified environmental assessment for hybridizations of storage modules in the cases provided for by law, and establishes the reduction of processing deadlines that was applied in this case.

The “Afrodita” solar plant, with registration number RE-115277 in the Administrative Registry of Electricity Generation Facilities, holds a unified environmental authorization (file AAU/SE/0064/2021/N) issued by the Territorial Delegation of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy in Seville dated September 30, 2022. Red Eléctrica de España, SAU updated the access and connection permits on August 20, 2025 to allow the incorporation of the storage module into the Don Rodrigo 400 kV substation.

Deadlines and execution conditions

According to the annex to the resolution, the deadline for obtaining the operating authorization is governed by the provisions of Royal Decree-Law 23/2020, of June 23. Additionally, Royal Decree-Law 7/2026, of March 20, concerning the Comprehensive Response Plan to the Crisis in the Middle East, allows the promoter to request —within a maximum period of three months from obtaining the construction authorization— an extension of the deadline to meet the milestone of obtaining the operating authorization, provided that the maximum date does not exceed December 31, 2030.

Afrodita Solar, SL shall report the completion of the works to the competent provincial body for the final approval and issuance of the operating authorization. The decision was issued in Madrid on 31 July 2026 and does not exhaust the administrative route, and an appeal for reconsideration may be lodged with the Secretary of State for Energy within one month.

The authorization of this battery storage facility is part of the Government’s strategy to accelerate the penetration of renewables, with storage as a key element of the energy transition. Andalusia, with its first-rate solar potential, is consolidating itself as a priority setting for the hybridization of large photovoltaic plants with storage systems that make it possible to manage the intermittency of solar generation and strengthen the stability of the electricity system.

Source: Official State Gazette, No. 202, 18 August 2026, Section III “Other Provisions”, p. 115633 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-17912).