Bizkaia Industry representation has given prior authorizati…

The Territorial Delegate for Industry, Energy Transition, and Sustainability of Bizkaia has granted the prior administrative authorization for the PB Babor 6 battery storage installation, with a capacity of 28.6 MW, promoted by the company Arena Green Assets 5, S.L.U., in the municipalities of Ortuella and Santurtzi (Bizkaia). The decision was recorded in a resolution dated September 24 and was published today, October 19, 2026, in issue number 199 of the Boletín Oficial del País Vasco under official reference 2026/4363. The authorization is not final: the construction permit must be requested within a period of nine months; otherwise, the resolution may be revoked.

File and Jurisdiction

The file number is 48-GE-Y-2024-00010. The project was initially promoted by the company Enigma Green Power 15, S.L.U., which submitted the request for prior administrative authorization and a simplified environmental impact assessment on May 24, 2025. The installation has the access and connection authorization granted by Red Eléctrica de España, S.A.U. on November 29, 2023.

The resolution is based on the organic structure established by Decreto 410/2024, and Decreto 48/2020, which regulates the authorization procedures for electrical installations. Additionally, Ley 24/2013 (the electricity sector law) and Real Decreto 1955/2000 have been applied. The signatory is the Territorial Delegate, María Jesús Markaida Uriarte.

Change of Ownership and Project Reduction

Two significant changes occurred during processing. Firstly, the company Arena Green Assets 5, S.L.U. requested a change of ownership on June 24, 2026, which the delegation approved via a letter dated July 20. Secondly, the promoter submitted a partial withdrawal on September 17, which the delegation approved the following day.

This withdrawal has significantly reduced the scope of the project. The following has been authorized:

A battery storage plant with a capacity of 28.6 MW.
A sectioning and measurement center.
An underground 30 kV line, approximately 84.44 meters long, as part of the plant’s own infrastructure.

Conversely, the SET Colectora collector substation and the connection line to the connection point have been excluded, as they are being processed in another file—within the Bess Oymyakon project, held by another owner. According to the delegation, this reduction does not create any new environmental impact, as the effects are smaller than those initially analyzed.

Environmental Processing and Institutional Reports

The simplified environmental impact assessment was processed under reference EIAS-355, and the director of the environmental administration issued the impact report on January 21, 2026, published in the BOPV issue dated February 23, 2026. The report states that a standard assessment is not necessary, provided that the protection and correction measures established therein are adopted; this report is binding.

The public information notice was published in the BOPV and BOB journals on March 3, 2026, and no objections were submitted within the deadline. Likewise, several organizations were consulted, including:

The city councils of Ortuella and Santurtzi.
The Diputación Foral de Bizkaia and its general directorate of Territorial Development.
URA / Basque Water Agency and the Confederación Hidrográfica del Cantábrico.
Red Eléctrica de España and I-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes.
Enagás, Nortegás Energía Distribución, and Telefónica de España.

URA pointed out that the connection lines cross the Capetillo and El Molino streams, and permits for activities within the public water domain will be required. The Road Service of the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia issued a favorable report regarding the plant, but considered several underground conduits and accesses as unsuitable, as they affect the protection zones of provincial roads and bike paths. The directorate of Territorial Planning, on the other hand, stated that the storage facilities must justify their location outside urban land and that non-agricultural soils would need to be restored.

Conditions and appeal process

The resolution establishes several conditions. The construction permit must be requested within nine months, and the project must adapt to the measures included in the environmental impact report: protection of natural heritage, management of contaminated soils, protection of water and air, waste management, reduction of noise and vibrations, and cleaning upon completion of the work, among others.

This authorization does not replace the permits of other administrations: municipal, provincial, or environmental licenses and territorial planning procedures —including a special supramunicipal plan— remain in effect. The resolution does not exhaust the administrative route; an appeal may be filed within one month before the Director of Decarbonization, and if it is not resolved within three months, it will be considered tacitly rejected.

Impact

This 28.6 MW storage park is located on industrial land in left-bank Bizkaia, between Ortuella and Santurtzi, and adds new capacity to the electrical grid to smooth out the fluctuations of renewable energy input. However, the authorization is not a green light for construction: the construction permit, municipal licenses, and the special plan are still missing, and these will condition the project’s schedule.

Source: BOPV, issue no. 199, October 19, 2026, Other provisions section, pp. 1-6 (official reference: 2026/4363).