Energy authorizes the expansion of Red Eléctrica's Saucelle substation

The General Directorate of Energy and Mines of the Regional Government of Castilla y León has granted the prior and construction administrative authorizations for the expansion of the 220 kV «Saucelle» electrical substation, promoted by «Red Eléctrica de España, S.A.U.» in the municipality of Saucelle (Salamanca). The resolution was signed on September 23, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León (BOCYL) no. 197, dated October 9, 2026, within section I.D of other provisions. The processed file is DGEM-5/26; STSA-51.

The authorized action consists of the installation of a new switch position called «Trafo APD», of a conventional outdoor type of 40 kA and double-bus configuration, within the current enclosure of the substation. The declared purpose is to provide support to the distribution network in the area.

The issuing body is the General Directorate of Energy and Mines, under the Department of Environment and Energy, which is competent to authorize secondary transmission electrical installations in accordance with article 70.1.24º of Organic Law 14/2007, reforming the Statute of Autonomy, articles 3.13 and 34.1 of Law 24/2013, of December 26, on the Electricity Sector, and Decree 46/2022, of November 24, which regulates the authorization procedures for electrical installations in Castilla y León.

Two years of administrative processing

The file began with the request from the transmission company and accumulated the following milestones:

• January 25, 2025: «Red Eléctrica de España, S.A.U.» requests the prior and construction authorization of the project from the Territorial Service of Industry, Trade and Economy of Salamanca.
• January 22, 2025: responsible declaration from the designer certifying compliance with the applicable technical regulations.
• April 30, 2025: public information announcement in the BOCYL and on the Energy and Mining web portal of the Regional Government, a process that received no objections.
• April 7, 2025: favorable report from the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, which aligns the action with the Electrical Energy Transmission Network Development Plan 2021-2026, approved by Agreement of the Council of Ministers on March 22, 2022.
• September 14, 2026: favorable report from the Territorial Service of Salamanca, prior to the proposal from the Energy Planning and Management Service.

Conditions of the authorization

The resolution imposes a series of obligations on the holding company for the execution of the installation:

• The works must be carried out in accordance with the submitted technical project and technical safety standards.
• The holder must notify the Territorial Service of Salamanca of the start of the works to allow for their verification.
• The execution period is one year from the notification of the resolution.
• Upon completion of the works, the exploitation authorization must be requested from the aforementioned Territorial Service with the regulatory documentation.

The text warns that the resolution is issued without prejudice to third parties or other authorizations, especially those regarding land use planning and the environment, and that failure to comply with the conditions or a substantial variation in the premises that motivated it may lead to its revocation, according to article 53.10 of Law 24/2013.

Appeal Process

Against the resolution, which does not end the administrative process, an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) may be filed before the Vice-Ministry of Environment and Energy within one month from the day following its notification, in accordance with articles 121 and 122 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure. The document was signed in León on September 23, 2026, by the Director General of Energy and Mines, J. Alberto Castro Cañibano.

The expansion reinforces the 220 kV transport node in western Castilla y León, a key infrastructure for the evacuation and distribution of electricity in the Arribes del Duero area. The new switch position will allow the demand of the local distribution network to be met without altering the existing substation premises.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 197, of October 9, 2026, section I.D Other Provisions, pp. 198-200 (official reference: BOCYL-D-09102026-197-29).