The State archives the 80 MW Solanetas storage plant

The General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines, under the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, has accepted the withdrawal by Growth Aspirations, S.L. of its application for prior administrative authorization and has agreed to archive file SGIISE/ALM-025 regarding the Solanetas storage plant, with an installed capacity of 80 MW, located within the municipal boundaries of Castejón de Sos, Sesué, and Villanova, in the province of Huesca. The resolution, signed in Madrid on August 23, 2026, by the Director General Manuel García Hernández, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Huesca number 190, corresponding to Monday, October 5, 2026, with the official reference BOPH-2026-190020.

The file was processed under Article 53 of Law 24/2013, of December 26, on the Electricity Sector, and Royal Decree 1955/2000, of December 1, which regulate the authorization procedures for electrical energy installations. State jurisdiction is justified because it is a production facility with power evacuation infrastructure exceeding 50 electrical MW, according to Article 3.13 of the aforementioned law. The procedure also included a simplified environmental impact assessment, referred to the Sub-Directorate General of Environmental Assessment as the substantive body on the matter.

A project unfeasible due to land use

On May 26, 2026, the developer communicated the impossibility of developing the installation due to the incompatibility of the project with the land use designated for its location. In its writing, Growth Aspirations, S.L. declared the unfeasibility of the processing in accordance with Article 94 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations, and alleged that it had an unfavorable report from the City Council of Castejón de Sos that would prevent the effective construction of the plant.

The Administration notified the developer of the hearing process on June 16, 2026. On July 2, 2026, the company responded without opposing the proposed resolution, although it reiterated that the withdrawal stemmed from the unfavorable administrative reports received.

Processing Timeline

June 20, 2024: request for prior administrative authorization and environmental impact assessment.
November 26, 2024: submission and admission of the plant and part of its evacuation infrastructure by the General Directorate.
December 11, 2025: modification of the initial request.
May 26, 2026: the promoter declares the impossibility of executing the project.
June 16, 2026: hearing process regarding the proposed resolution.
July 2, 2026: response from the promoter, without opposition to the withdrawal.
August 23, 2026: signing of the resolution accepting the withdrawal and archiving the file.

Economic guarantees and appeal process

The resolution recalls that Royal Decree 1183/2020, of December 29, requires, for generation facilities, an economic guarantee of 40 euros per installed kW before requesting access and connection to the grid. The same text allows the competent body to exempt the execution of this guarantee when the expiration of the permits is motivated by a report or resolution from a public administration that prevents construction, provided that the interested party so requests.

Against the resolution, which does not end the administrative route, an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) may be filed before the holder of the Secretary of State for Energy within one month from the day following its notification. Once this period has elapsed without an appeal, the resolution shall be final for all purposes.

The archiving of Solanetas nullifies one of the energy storage projects planned in the Huesca region of La Ribagorza, where municipal opposition and urban planning have become a decisive obstacle for this type of facility. The decision confirms that an unfavorable municipal report is sufficient to thwart the state processing of a high-power plant, and opens the door for the promoter to recover the deposited guarantee.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Huesca, No. 190, October 5, 2026, State Administration, pp. 64-68 (official reference: BOPH-2026-190020).