Commission approves 70 million euros a year for Spain's electro-intensive industry

The European Commission has approved the amendment of the Spanish State aid scheme SA.123095 for electro-intensive industrial consumers, authorising an annual budget of €70 million until 31 December 2028. The decision, adopted on 31 July 2026, was published on 14 August 2026 in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union under the reference C/2026/4384, in the section of cases where the Commission raises no objections.

The amended measure, titled “IND - Royal Decree for electro-intensive industrial users”, modifies the previous scheme registered as SA.102006. Its legal basis is the draft royal decree amending Real Decreto 1106/2020, of 15 December 2020, which regulates the statute of electro-intensive consumers (Estatuto de los consumidores electrointensivos). The aid is classified as a scheme, takes the form of direct grants and pursues objectives in energy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and environmental protection.

The authorisation was granted under Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The heading “Cases where the Commission raises no objections” means that, after its assessment, the Commission considered the modified scheme compatible with the internal market without opening a formal investigation. The notice is marked “Text with EEA relevance”, so the decision also applies within the framework of the European Economic Area.

Key figures of the approved scheme

The notice in the Official Journal sets out the following figures and conditions:

• Annual budget: €70 million.
• Duration: until 31 December 2028.
• Form of aid: direct grants.
• Type of measure: scheme, amending SA.102006.
• Objectives: energy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and environmental protection.
• Economic sectors: all sectors eligible to receive the aid.
• Member State and region: Spain.

Granting authority

The granting authority is the Dirección General de Programas Industriales, a body of the Ministerio de Industria y Turismo, with offices at Paseo de la Castellana 160, Planta 10, 28046 Madrid. The measure targets Spanish industry with high electricity consumption, the population covered by the statute of electro-intensive consumers regulated by the royal decree under amendment.

Transparency and publication

As required for State aid authorisations, the entry published in the C series includes the essential details of the measure: aid number, member state, region, title, legal basis, type of measure, objective, form of aid, budget, duration, eligible sectors and the granting authority. The authentic text of the decision, from which all confidential information has been removed, is available in the Commission’s public competition case register, and the notice can also be located through its ELI identifier.

Why it matters

For Spanish electro-intensive industry — sectors whose electricity consumption represents a large share of production costs — the approval guarantees continuity of support of €70 million a year until the end of 2028. In a context of volatile energy prices, that legal certainty strengthens the competitiveness of high-energy manufacturing in Spain, while the energy, efficiency and environmental objectives of the scheme remain in force.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, C/2026/4384, 14 August 2026, C series (official reference: C/2026/4384).