The Generalitat halts the FV Vilafamés 4 solar plant by Cabanes

The General Directorate of Energy and Mines of the Generalitat Valenciana has declared the supervening loss of the object of the application for prior administrative and construction authorization for the FV Vilafamés 4 photovoltaic plant, with an installed capacity of 47.125 MW, located in Cabanes (Castellón). The decision, adopted by resolution on July 17, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana (DOGV) number 10443, dated September 3, 2026, with reference DOGV-C-2026-27810.

The project, promoted by the company 59 Instalación Solar, SL, is thus rendered void due to the automatic expiration of the access and connection permits to the transmission grid, a prerequisite and indispensable requirement for granting the installation authorization.

A file initiated in 2021

The application for authorization was submitted on October 18, 2021, the date on which the Territorial Service of Industry, Energy and Mines of Castellón (STIEM CS) initiated file ATALFE/2021/91. The promoter held an access and connection permit to the transmission grid dated June 21, 2021, which established the start of the deadline for compliance with the obligations of Royal Decree 1183/2020.

The projected installation was distributed across three cadastral polygons in the municipality of Cabanes:

• Polygon 25: more than a hundred plots (16 to 100, 201 to 214, 573, 574, 9001 to 9032).
• Polygon 26: plots 357 to 412, 891, and 9910.
• Polygon 27: plots 228 to 543 and 9010 to 9024.

Expiration due to failure to meet the environmental milestone

According to Article 1 of Royal Decree-Law 23/2020, holders of access permits had to prove the obtaining of a favorable environmental impact statement within a maximum period of 31 months from the granting of the permit. 59 Instalación Solar, SL did not prove this milestone in a timely and proper manner, which led Red Eléctrica de España, SAU, the transmission grid operator, to communicate the automatic expiration of the permits on March 22, 2024.

The promoter raised an access conflict before the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC), which was dismissed by resolution on May 29, 2024 (file CFT/DE/120/24). The expiration of the permits determines, by virtue of Article 53.1.a) of Law 24/2013 of the electricity sector and Article 36.2 of Royal Decree 413/2014, the supervening loss of the object of the authorization procedure.

Effects and appeals

The resolution orders publication in the DOGV and in the Official Gazette of the Province of Castellón, as well as notification to the company, the intervening administrations and bodies, and the environmental authority. An administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) may be filed against the decision, which does not exhaust administrative remedies, before the Regional Secretariat for Environment and Territory within one month of its notification. The resolution is signed by the Director General of Energy and Mines, Antonio Miranda Bonet.

The collapse of FV Vilafamés 4 highlights the rigor with which the Valencian administration applies the administrative milestones of Royal Decree-Law 23/2020 to renewable projects, within a context of accelerating energy transition. For the sector, it serves as a warning regarding the need to comply with environmental processing deadlines, while for the municipality of Cabanes, it halts a high-capacity project that would have occupied dozens of plots within its boundaries.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana, no. 10443, September 3, 2026, section III (A) Authorizations and concessions, p. 1-4 (official reference: DOGV-C-2026-27810).