Expropriations to implement emergency plans for seven dams in Ciudad Real

The Guadiana Hydrographic Confederation (CHG), a body dependent on the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, has opened for public consultation the list of assets and rights affected by the expropriations for the project to implement the Dam Emergency Plans (PEP) for seven reservoirs located in the province of Ciudad Real. The announcement is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz number 177, dated September 16, 2026, under announcement 3600/2026, and grants affected owners a period of twenty business days to file claims.

This action responds to the legal obligation to implement emergency plans for dams classified in potential risk categories A and B, as established by the Basic Planning Guideline for Civil Protection against Flood Risk (1994) and Royal Decree 264/2021, of April 13, which approves the Technical Safety Standards for dams and their reservoirs. The General Directorate of Water authorized the CHG to initiate the public information process on July 23, 2026, following the request made by the basin organization on July 16.

The seven dams and their budgets

The projects, all of them regarding “infrastructure security,” have base tender budgets (VAT included) ranging between 238,202.34 and 321,422.91 euros:

• Gasset (Fernán Caballero): 238,202.34 €, file 04.199-0051/2111.
• Peñarroya (Argamasilla de Alba): 264,737.42 €, file 04.199-0052/2111.
• Vega del Jabalón (Calzada de Calatrava): 256,295.61 €, file 04.199-0053/2111.
• Torre de Abraham (Retuerta del Bullaque): 321,107.08 €, file 04.199-0054/2111.
• Puerto de Vallehermoso (Alhambra and La Solana): 257,353.74 €, file 04.199-0055/2111.
• El Vicario (Ciudad Real and Picón): 321,422.91 €, file 04.199-0056/2111.
• La Cabezuela (Valdepeñas and Torre de Juan Abad): 262,657.74 €, file 04.199-0057/2111.

Six of the dams are classified in potential risk category A and El Vicario in category B, making the approval and implementation of their emergency plan mandatory. The PEPs, drafted in June 2003 by the CHG as the owner of the dams, were approved between 2005 and 2008 by the General Directorate of Water.

What is being expropriated and how to appeal

The implementation of the plans requires the activation of an Emergency Management Center (CGE), communication and public warning systems, as well as the triggering of the alert system (SAP) to evacuate the population affected by the breach wave within the first half hour. The annex of the announcement details the affected estates, including their cadastral references, owners, and areas under full ownership, easement, and temporary occupation, among which are plots belonging to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, city councils, and private individuals and companies such as Quintos de la Tejera, SA, Agrícola Torre de Abraham, SL, Viña de Gaitanejos SL, or Hermanos Mateos-Higuera SL.

Claims must be submitted in writing to the Technical Director of the CHG in Badajoz (avda. Sinforiano Madroñero, 12), within twenty business days from the publication in the Official Gazette of the Province of Ciudad Real. During this period, the project may be consulted at the Confederation offices in Ciudad Real (carretera de Porzuna, 6) and downloaded via the links enabled for each dam.

Legal Framework and Signature

The expropriation is based on the declaration of public utility implicit in the approval of the hydrological plans, in accordance with the consolidated text of the Water Law (Royal Legislative Decree 1/2001) and the Law of December 16, 1954, on compulsory expropriation. The announcement, which is part of Annex 11 of the Report of the Guadiana Hydrological Plan (approved by Royal Decree 35/2023), is signed by the president of the CHG, Samuel Moraleda Ludeña, by delegation of the Minister for the Ecological Transition (Order TED/544/2026, of May 28).

The publication directly affects landowners in the municipalities of Fernán Caballero, Argamasilla de Alba, Calzada de Calatrava, Retuerta del Bullaque, Alhambra, La Solana, Ciudad Real, Picón, Valdepeñas, and Torre de Juan Abad, who must review the list of estates to determine if their properties are affected and, if applicable, exercise their right to appeal within the legal timeframe.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz, no. 177, September 16, 2026, State Administration (official reference: announcement 3600/2026).