The Delegation of Industry of Bizkaia has authorized the Zo…

The Territorial Delegate for Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of Bizkaia, María Jesús Markaida Uriarte, has granted the prior administrative authorization and construction permit to the company I-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes, S.A.U. for the construction of the new 132/13 kV transformer substation named ST Zorrotzaurre, and has declared the public utility of the installation. The decision is the Resolution of September 11, 2026, regarding file 48-AT-Y-2025-00120, and was published in the BOPV no. 190, issue of October 5, 2026, with reference 2026/4100. The substation will be located in Bilbao (Bizkaia).

Request and administrative procedure

The company I-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes, S.A.U. requested the prior administrative authorization, construction permit, and specific declaration of public utility on December 23, 2025. The request was made public, in accordance with the regulations of Decreto 48/2020 and Real Decreto 1955/2000, through several channels:

BOPV, April 27, 2026.
BOB, April 29, 2026.
The notice board of the Bilbao City Council.
The newspaper El Correo, June 8, 2026.

No objections were filed within the regulatory period. After analyzing the file, the technical services of the Energy Area of the Bizkaia delegation issued a favorable report.

Institutional reports

On April 28, 2026, the Bilbao City Council and on April 30, the Port Authority of Bilbao, Ura-Basque Water Agency, the Directorate of Ports, Maritime Affairs and Coastline, and the Directorate of Natural Heritage and Climate Change Adaptation were asked to submit their technical conditions.

Only Ura-Basque Water Agency responded, on May 13, 2026. In that report, it stated that the projected works do not require authorization from that body, as they are outside the protection service, and that no flood risk was detected.

Public utility and expropriation consequences

The resolution declares the public utility of the installation. This declaration, according to article 56 of Ley 24/2013, entails the need to occupy properties or acquire affected rights.

This entails urgent occupation, for the consequences of article 52 of the Forced Expropriation Law of December 16, 1954, and also has the registry consequences of article 53 of said law.

Deadlines and conditions

The resolution establishes the following conditions:

Works must be carried out according to the approved project, as well as according to any changes requested and authorized later.
The deadline for putting the installation into operation is three years from the date of the resolution; if the operating permit is not requested after this period, the resolution may be revoked.
The owners of the installations must notify the Territorial Delegation of Bizkaia of the completion of the works, to carry out the final approval and extend the commissioning act.
The resolution is subject to municipal, provincial, and other permits, and does not exempt the applicant from the obligation to obtain them.

Appeal

This resolution does not exhaust the administrative route. An appeal may be filed against it before the Director of Decarbonization of the Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, within a period of one month starting from the day following the notification, in accordance with Article 121 and following of Law 39/2015.

The maximum period for resolving and notifying the appeal is three months; if no resolution is given after this period, the appeal shall be considered dismissed.

This resolution authorizes the commencement of works and, thanks to the declaration of public utility, the occupation of necessary assets. There is a period of three years to put the installation into operation, and the option to file an appeal remains open for one month.

Source: BOPV, no. 190, 2026-10-05, Other provisions (official reference: 2026/4100).