The Las Quemadillas wind farm in Palencia has been declared of public utility

The Territorial Service of Industry, Commerce, and Economy of Palencia, under the Ministry of Environment and Energy of the Regional Government of Castilla y León, has specifically declared the public utility of the “Las Quemadillas” wind farm and the “Las Quemadillas 132/30 kV” substation, located within the municipal terms of Ampudia and Santa Cecilia del Alcor (Palencia). The decision is detailed in the Resolution of October 6, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León (BOCYL) No. 203, of October 20, 2026, pages 43 to 48, with official reference BOCYL-D-20102026-203-9, and affects land belonging to a dozen private owners and several public administrations.

A file processed for more than two years

The declaration concludes file NIE 4298, promoted by Eólica Las Quemadillas, S.L. The company requested the public utility declaration on July 18, 2024, after obtaining the prior administrative authorization by resolution of April 24, 2023 (BOCYL No. 89, of May 11) and the administrative construction authorization on February 5, 2024. The project has a favorable environmental impact statement granted via Order MAV/69/2023, of January 18.

On December 18, 2023, the company requested to segregate the file to separate the wind farm and its substation from the evacuation line, such that the present declaration is limited to Ampudia and Santa Cecilia del Alcor, and not to Dueñas, Tariego de Cerrato, and Hontoria de Cerrato.

The public information was published in BOCYL No. 178, of September 12, 2024, with a correction of errors in No. 231, of October 31, 2024, and also in the Official Gazette of the Province of Palencia of October 21 and 28, 2024, in the Diario Palentino, on the Energy and Mining Portal, and on the notice boards of both town halls. According to the resolution, no objections were filed during that period.

Nine wind turbines and 49.5 megawatts

The technical characteristics detailed in the resolution are as follows:

• 9 wind turbines of 5,500 kW each, with a hub height of 120 meters and a rotor diameter of 158 meters.
• Total installed capacity of 49.5 MW.
• Underground high-voltage network at 30 kV to interconnect the wind turbines.
• Transformer substation 132/30 kV SET Las Quemadillas, which evacuates energy from the “Las Quemadillas” and “Valparaíso” parks.

Urgent occupation and administrative appeal

The agreement declares that public utility implies “the need for occupation or acquisition of the affected rights” and entails urgent occupation for the purposes of Article 52 of the Compulsory Expropriation Law, pursuant to Article 56 of Law 24/2013, of December 26, on the Electricity Sector. It also authorizes the passage of the installation over public domain lands and easement zones.

The annex of the resolution details the affected assets and rights. Among the private holders are José Antonio Peinador Antolín, Explotaciones Agropecuarias Caferca, S.A., María Guadalupe Gero Ibáñez, José Ignacio Martín Díez, José Ignacio Martín León, Lucía Abril Rodríguez, and María Loreto Martín León. The list of administrations includes the Regional Government of Castilla y León, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Roads Unit of the Ministry of Public Works of Palencia, and the City Council of Santa Cecilia del Alcor.

The text certifies that the promoter reached agreements with more than 50% of the plot holders, both in number and surface area, and that it individually notified those who had not reached a prior agreement. Against the resolution, which does not exhaust administrative remedies, an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) may be filed within one month before the Director General of Energy and Mines. The document is signed by the head of the territorial service, José María Casas Inclán.

Impact for owners and for renewable deployment

The declaration is accompanied by another resolution from the same service, dated October 7, 2026, and published in the same bulletin, which declares the public utility of the 132 kV overhead line “SET Las Quemadillas-SET Hontoria” (file 34/ATLI/6604), which also crosses Dueñas, Tariego de Cerrato, and Hontoria de Cerrato. For the owners of the plots included in the annex, the resolution opens the way to expropriation and temporary occupation during the works; for the province of Palencia, it consolidates a renewable hub that connects two wind farms to the transmission grid.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 203, of October 20, 2026, section I.D (Other provisions), pp. 43-48 (official reference: BOCYL-D-20102026-203-9).