Modification of the Nanclares power line in Ribera Baja authorized

The Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava publishes this Monday, November 9, 2026, the resolution of October 16, 2026, granting prior administrative and construction authorization for the modification of the 13.2 kV medium-voltage overhead line “Nanclares”, between supports number 181 and number 227, in the municipality of Ribera Baja. The same act specifically declares the public utility of the installation, which implies the necessary occupation of the affected assets and rights. The decision corresponds to the Territorial Delegate of Industry, Energy Transition, and Sustainability of Álava, Javier Aizpuru Ochoa de Eribe, and is processed under file 01ATY 202500052.

The authorization complies with the provisions of Article 55 of Law 24/2013, of December 26, on the Electricity Sector, and Articles 17.2 and 52 of the Compulsory Expropriation Law of December 16, 1954, as well as Article 56 of its regulation of April 26, 1957. The procedure is carried out in accordance with Decree 48/2020, of March 31, of the Basque Government, which regulates the authorizations for electrical energy production, transport, and distribution installations. The competence of the signing body derives from Article 20 of Decree 410/2024, of December 3, on the organic structure of the department.

Requested in September 2025 by the distributor

The application was submitted by I-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes, SAU on September 5, 2025, jointly requesting the prior administrative authorization, the construction authorization, and the specific declaration of public utility of the project.

The file includes the specific and individualized list of assets and rights that the company considers necessary for expropriation. The declaration of public utility implies urgent occupation for the purposes of Article 52 of the Compulsory Expropriation Law and entails the registry effects of Article 53 of the same regulation.

Announcement in three newspapers and consultations without objections

The project was submitted for public information through announcements published in:

• The Official Gazette of the Basque Country, on March 3, 2026.
• The Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava, on March 20, 2026.
• The newspaper El Correo, on March 6, 2026.
• The department’s website, along with the project documentation.

Simultaneously, on March 3, 2026, the department sent the corresponding offprint to the Ribera Baja City Council so that it would be available at the council office alongside the announcement. URA-Basque Water Agency, Telefónica de España, SA, and ADIF were also consulted, and they issued reports without raising objections to the execution of the project.

In the technical section, the resolution invokes the specific prescriptions for the passage of high-voltage lines through wooded areas, established by the resolution of the Director of Energy and Mines of March 8, 2011, and Royal Decree 1432/2008, of August 29, on the protection of avifauna against collision and electrocution.

Three years to put the installation into operation

The authorization is granted with several general conditions:

• The works must be executed in accordance with the approved project, with any variations that may be requested and authorized as applicable.
• The deadline for commissioning is three years from the resolution; if this period passes without the operating authorization being requested, expiration may be declared.
• The holder must notify the completion of the works to the Territorial Delegation of Industrial Administration of Álava for final recognition and the issuance of the commissioning report.
• The resolution does not exempt the holder from obtaining the necessary municipal, provincial, and other agency authorizations, licenses, and permits, and is granted without prejudice to the rights of third parties.

Against the agreement, which does not end the administrative route, an appeal for reversal (recurso de alzada) may be filed before the Director of Decarbonization within one month from the day following its notification, according to articles 121 and following of Law 39/2015.

Impact for affected owners

The publication of the resolution in the official bulletin activates the expropriation mechanism: the owners of the plots affected by the route between supports 181 and 227 will see the urgent occupation procedure of their lands opened, with the guarantees and registry effects established by the compulsory expropriation legislation.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Historical Territory of Álava, no. 129, November 9, 2026, section III - Other Public Administrations, pp. 1-3 (official reference: 2026-03154).