Castilla y León authorizes repowering the Aldehuelas wind farm with storage.

The Territorial Service of Industry, Commerce and Economy of Soria has granted the prior administrative authorization to repower and hybridize with storage the “Aldehuelas” wind farm, in the province of Soria. The resolution, signed on 7 August 2026 by the head of the service, Manuel López Represa, is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León on Friday 14 August 2026, number 157, with official reference BOCYL-D-14082026-157-3.

The project, promoted by Explotaciones Eólicas de Aldehuelas, S.L., will replace the 59 AE-56 wind turbines of 800 kW currently in operation with nine higher-capacity wind turbines, totaling 47.2 MW of wind power, to which a storage system of 2.8 MW and 5.6 MWh will be added. The total installed capacity of the facility amounts to 50 MW. The wind farm, whose commissioning was authorized on 29 December 2004 as a result of the unification of the former Jupiter, Saturno and Estoncala wind farms, extends across eight municipal districts of Soria: Vizmanos, Villar del Río, Santa Cruz de Yanguas, Las Aldehuelas, Arévalo de la Sierra, Oncala, Almarza and La Póveda de Soria.

Three years of processing with public information

The file was initiated on 13 February 2023 and was submitted to public information in July of that year. Following a new application submitted on 15 April 2025, the Territorial Service opened a second public information procedure on 20 August 2025, announced in the BOCYL of 1 September 2025. The environmental impact statement was issued by means of Order AGR/652/2026, of 3 July 2026, published in the BOCYL of 16 July 2026, which set the definitive number of wind turbines at nine.

During the public information period, around ten bodies issued conditions:

• State Aviation Safety Agency, Duero Hydrographic Confederation and Ebro Hydrographic Confederation;
• Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and National Geographic Institute;
• the territorial services of Health, Urban Planning, Culture, Tourism and Sport, Environment and Civil Protection, in addition to Cellnex Telecom (Retevisión).

Also submitted objections were the Arévalo de la Sierra City Council, the La Póveda de Soria City Council and the Soria Association for the Defence and Study of Nature (ASDEN), mainly concerning the distribution of the wind turbines and the loss of municipal revenue. The promoter responded that the new location responds to environmental and technical criteria aimed at reducing the impact of the wind farm.

A 50 MW project with nine wind turbines

• Wind power capacity of 47.2 MW with 9 wind turbines, compared with the existing 59; initially, 10 units of the SG155 model or similar, each of 4.72 MW, were planned, according to the approved project VIZA252743, signed by Carlos Valiño Colas.
• Storage system with 2.8 MW of power and 5.6 MWh of capacity, completing the project’s 50 MW.
• Evacuation through 30 kV medium-voltage circuits to the Aldehuelas Substation; the current substation, evacuation line and grid connection point are maintained.
• The project includes access roads, assembly platforms, foundations and electrical circuits.

Conditions, time limits and appeals

The authorization is granted in accordance with Law 24/2013, of 26 December, on the Electricity Sector, and Decree 46/2022, of 24 November, which regulates the authorization procedures for electrical installations in Castilla y León and imposes twelve conditions, including compliance with the environmental impact statement and with Royal Decree 1432/2008, on the protection of birdlife against collision and electrocution. The holder must apply for the administrative authorization for construction within one year of notification, with the possibility of extension; otherwise, the file will lapse. The holder must also certify the deposit of the economic guarantee for dismantling before the operating authorization.

With this repowering, the wind farm maintains wind generation in an area of high natural value, next to the Acebal de Garagüeta, drastically reducing the number of wind turbines and adding batteries to make grid feed-in more flexible. An appeal may be lodged against the resolution before the Director General of Energy and Mines within one month.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, No. 157, 14 August 2026, I. Community of Castilla y León, D. Other Provisions, pp. 11-25 (official reference: BOCYL-D-14082026-157-3).