The Board authorizes the Zuzones line and declares its public utility

The General Directorate of Energy and Mines of the Regional Government of Castilla y León has granted the prior and construction administrative authorizations and has recognized the public utility of the 132 kV power line entering and exiting the Zuzones substation, part of the “Aranda de Duero–Burgo de Osma” line. The resolution is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Soria no. 121, dated October 21, 2026 (pp. 3640 to 3648), with the reference BOPSO-121-21102026. The recognition of public utility implies the need for the occupation of the assets and rights listed in the annex and their urgent occupation, which opens the way for expropriation of vineyard estates.

The installation affects the municipal districts of Langa de Duero (Soria) and La Vid y Barrios (Burgos), under files DGEM-4/25, STSO-94/24, and STBU-29.397. The application was submitted on December 2, 2024, by the distributor I-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes, S.A.U., which provided a responsible declaration from the designer dated November 25, 2024. The public information process was announced in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León on February 24, 2025, and January 15, 2026; in the Official Gazette of the Province of Soria on March 7, 2025, and January 7, 2026; in the Official Gazette of the Province of Burgos on March 20, 2025; in Heraldo de Soria and Diario de Burgos; on the notice boards of both town halls; and on the Energy and Mining portal of the Regional Government.

Two sections of 1,416 and 1,253 meters

The prior authorization covers a line consisting of two double-circuit sections with LARL-280 type conductors:

• A section of 1,416 meters between support no. 10075 of the 132 kV “Aranda de Duero-Burgo de Osma” line and the gantry of the Zuzones 132 kV substation.
• A section of 1,253 meters between the substation gantry and support no. 10079 of the same line.

The construction authorization stipulates that the works will be executed in accordance with the technical project and the conditions of the affected administrations, with prior notification of the start to the Territorial Services of Industry, Trade, and Economy of Soria and Burgos. The execution period is two years from the notification of the resolution, after which the operating authorization must be requested.

Allegations regarding Natura 2000 and archaeological sites

During the processing period, numerous allegations were received, many with identical content, asserting that the lands are rural land with vineyards from the «Ribera del Duero» Designation of Origin and belong to the «Riberas del Duero y afluentes» Special Area of Conservation of the Natura 2000 Network. The claimants also warned of nearby archaeological sites, impact on the Duero hydrographic system, electromagnetic fields, damage to protected flora and fauna, risk of fires, limitation of agricultural development due to easements, and a lack of analysis of alternatives.

The company responded that, according to the official cartography of IDECYL and the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, the infrastructures lie outside the boundaries of the protected area, and that the environmental impact report approved by the Resolution of August 14, 2025, of the General Directorate of Environmental Quality and Evaluation exempts the project from an ordinary evaluation. It added that the Cultural Heritage Commission of Castilla y León authorized the surveys on February 7, 2025, and that the Duero Hydrographic Confederation authorized the works on November 10, 2025. The resolution is based on the favorable reports from the territorial services of Soria and Burgos dated July 21 and 28, 2026.

Affected Parties and Urgent Expropriation

The annex of affected assets and rights details the estates with flight easements, temporary occupation, and support surface areas in polygon 37 of Langa de Duero and in polygons 513, 514, and 517 of La Vid y Barrios, with supports such as 10076N, 10078N, 40001, 40002, 40004, and 40005. Among the owners are Fernando Ortiz Redondo, Teógenes Gutiérrez Aparicio, Emilio Hernando Aguayo, Mariano Ortiz Pérez, Luciano Gil Aparicio, Antonio María Montes Santaolalla, María Gloria Escolar Ramos, David Pascual Delgado, Ángel Ruiz Leal, José Manuel Leal Pascual, the Junta Vecinal Zuzones de la Vid, and the Sociedad Cooperativa Hermanos Redondo Langa.

Three of these allegations were individualized. David Pascual Delgado requested that his entire plot not be expropriated so he could continue cultivating vineyards; the company replied that the impact is only a flight easement. Antonio Montes Santaolalla and María Escolar Ramos claimed the inclusion of three more plots and an increase in compensation, but the property registry provided negative certifications. The Sociedad Cooperativa Hermanos Redondo Langa requested the relocation of the support that hinders their agricultural work, a request that was rejected due to technical infeasibility.

The resolution, signed in León on September 29, 2026, by the Director General of Energy and Mines, J. Alberto Castro Cañibano, 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.

The decision concludes more than a year and a half of processing and shifts the conflict to the realm of assets: the affected vineyard owners of the DO Ribera del Duero enter an urgent expropriation procedure in which they may assess economic damages, while the line is enabled to reinforce the area’s supply from the transmission substation.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Soria, no. 121, of October 21, 2026, Regional Administration, pp. 3640-3648 (official reference: BOPSO-121-21102026).