Cantabria gives environmental green light to the Elcano BESS battery in Castro Urdiales

The General Directorate of Environment and Climate Change of Cantabria has formulated the Environmental Impact Report for the 1 MW grid-connected stand-alone electrochemical storage project BESS ELCANO and its evacuation facilities in Castro Urdiales, considering that it is foreseeable that it will not produce significant adverse effects on the environment. The resolution, signed on August 5, 2026, by the general director Alberto Quijano Alonso, is published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria number 172, of September 7, 2026, with reference CVE-2026-6543.

The pronouncement is part of file EIA-SIMP.020.2025, processed in accordance with Law 21/2013, of December 9, on Environmental Assessment, which subjects stand-alone energy storage projects using electrochemical batteries (group 4, heading n of Annex II) to a simplified assessment. The promoter is the company Elcano Generación S. L., with the General Directorate of Industry, Energy and Mines of the Government of Cantabria acting as the substantive body.

A 1 MW and 4.26 MWh system with underground evacuation

The installation will be located in the municipality of Castro Urdiales, on cadastral plot 39020A030000110000JL, measuring 3,008 m², of which the plant will occupy 742 m² (26.43%). The system consists of a battery platform with LFP (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry with a capacity of 4.26 MWh, a 1,000 kW power converter, and a 1,250 kVA transformation center.

• Installed power: 1 MW; stored capacity: 4.26 MWh.
• Underground evacuation line of 13.2 kV and approximately 298 m to the STR LA PLANA substation, owned by i-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes S. A.U..
• Estimated energy exchanged with the grid: 2,971.41 MWh/year.
• Fire emergency tank of 24,000 l and contaminated water tank of 25,000 l.

Consultations and environmental conditions

During the processing, a dozen administrations and entities were consulted, including the Cantabrian Hydrographic Confederation, the State Road Demarcation in Cantabria, the General Directorate of Security and Citizen Protection, the General Directorate of Forests and Biodiversity, CROTU, and the City Council of Castro Urdiales. The council initially issued an unfavorable report due to urban planning non-compliance with the PGOU, which was rectified following the modification of the project and the addendum to the environmental document presented in May 2026.

The report incorporates a wide catalog of measures, among which the following stand out:

• Perimeter vegetation screen with native species to prevent visibility of the facility from the A-8 highway and the urban center located less than 1,000 m away.
• Game fencing permeable to the passage of small mammals and equipped with plates to prevent bird collisions.
• Waste management in accordance with Law 7/2022 and regulations on hazardous waste and electrical and electronic equipment.
• Environmental monitoring with quarterly reports during construction and semi-annual reports during the first two years of operation.

Conclusion and validity

The environmental body concludes that the project does not require an ordinary environmental impact assessment, provided that the actions adhere to the submitted project and environmental document and that the measures and environmental surveillance program are complied with. The report will lose its validity if the project is not authorized within a maximum period of four years from its publication, unless extended. Non-compliance with the environmental conditions is classified as a serious infringement, punishable by fines from 24,001 to 240,000 euros.

The resolution clears the main administrative hurdle for the deployment of a storage system that will allow the region’s distribution network to absorb and discharge energy according to supply and demand, a significant step for the integration of renewables in the surroundings of Castro Urdiales.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 172, September 7, 2026, section 7.2 Environment and Energy, p. 43667 (official reference: CVE-2026-6543).