The Elgea battery plant will not be sent for a regular environmental assessment if the measures are met.

The BESS Stand Alone Elgea energy storage plant, promoted by ABEI Green Energy, S.L., will not be subject to ordinary environmental impact assessment, provided that the protection and corrective measures set out in the resolution are complied with. This was decided by the Director of Environmental Administration of the Basque Government in a resolution of 15 July 2026, published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on 12 August 2026, issue 152, in the document with reference 2026/3576. The facility, with a capacity of 120.36 MWh, will be built in the municipalities of Agurain/Salvatierra and Iruraiz-Gauna (Álava).

The environmental impact report has been drawn up by the Directorate of Environmental Administration of the Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, within the simplified assessment procedure carried out in accordance with Article 79 of Law 10/2021 (on Environmental Administration of the Basque Country) and Law 21/2013 (on environmental assessment). The project falls under item n) of group 4 of Annex II: autonomous energy storage using electrochemical batteries. The consultation procedure began on 12 November 2025, and the application was completed on 17 June 2026 by the Territorial Delegation of Álava.

Project characteristics

The plant is a battery system connected to the electricity grid, designed for charging and discharging: it has a storage capacity of 120.36 MWh and 4 hours of autonomy (0.25 C). The technological core is made up of, among others:

• 24 lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery containers, models ESS Container 5.015 MWh from manufacturer Hithium, each with a capacity of 5,015 kWh;
• three conversion systems from Power Electronics (Twin Skid Compact), each composed of one 8,780 kVA transformer and two 4,333 kW converters (FP4390K);
• a 30 kV underground line of approximately 5,200 metres, connecting to the SET San Millan substation owned by Aixeindar, and from there to the 220 kV SET Elgea 220.

Selected location: third alternative

The environmental document analysed four alternatives for the location of the plant and the evacuation line, and the third was selected: a cereal plot in Agurain/Salvatierra, with an occupation of 0.58 hectares, next to a road. To justify the selection, the following were taken into account, among others: erosion risks, vegetation and habitats of community interest, distance from fauna, landscape visibility (a visual basin of approximately 306.91 hectares) and distance from residents (Agurain, 1.5 kilometres away).

According to the report, no significant impacts are foreseen on Natura 2000 network sites —the closest being ZEC Entzia (1.5 km) and ZEC Robledales isla de la Llanada alavesa (4 km)—, nor on habitats of community interest. The fact that the evacuation line is entirely underground avoids risks to avifauna.

Protection and corrective measures

The resolution establishes several measures, including:

• fauna-permeable perimeter enclosure (mesh of at most 2 metres, not wire) and “cat-flap” passages;
• vegetation cutting only carried out between 15 March and 15 August, in order to protect the breeding season;
• 5-metre plant screen and a recovery guarantee of at least 3 years;
• archaeological project, with previous soundings in the hamlets of Eskandazabal, Ozabal and Abitona;
• fire protection: 5-metre perimeter band and a manoeuvring area for firefighters with a radius of 12.50 metres.

The crossing of the Arganzubi stream will be carried out by directional drilling, so as not to affect the habitat of the European mink (Mustela lutreola), and the firefighter access routes must respect the use permits for the public-use forests MUP 505-1 and 515.

Validity period of the resolution

As established in the second and third paragraphs, it is not envisaged that the project be referred to ordinary evaluation, provided that the protective and corrective measures and controls are incorporated. However, the sixth paragraph states that the report will be annulled if the works have not started within four years of publication; in that case, the promoter would have to restart the simplified evaluation procedure.

The resolution paves the way for a storage infrastructure to support the growing generation of renewable energy in the Basque Country, with monitoring measures in place over local residents and environmental values. The report itself highlighted that the batteries will serve to improve the use of renewable energy and may bring a positive impact with regard to climate targets.

Source: Euskal Herriko Agintaritzaren Aldizkaria (Boletín Oficial del País Vasco), No. 152, 12 August 2026, “Other provisions” section, pp. 1-31 (official reference: 2026/3576).