The Board authorizes the green hydrogen plant in Villamuriel de Cerrato

The Territorial Service of Industry, Commerce, and Economy of Palencia, under the Department of Environment and Energy of the Regional Government of Castilla y León, has granted the prior administrative authorization and the administrative construction authorization for the hybrid production installation for self-consumption, without surplus discharge, which will supply electricity to the green hydrogen generation plant promoted by Hidrógeno Verde Villamuriel, S.L. The decision is contained in the resolution of October 30, 2026, signed by the head of the service, José María Casas Inclán, and published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León (BOCYL) no. 215, of November 6, 2026, with the official reference BOCYL-D-06112026-215-38 and file number PHV-1.

The resolution is based on Law 24/2013, of December 26, on the Electricity Sector, Royal Decree 1955/2000, and Decree 46/2022, of November 24, which regulates the authorization procedures for electrical installations in Castilla y León, in addition to Law 21/2013 on environmental assessment. The procedure began on May 22, 2024, when the company, with registered offices at calle Serrano 41 in Madrid, requested the prior authorization and the environmental impact assessment, and was completed on September 16, 2026, with the request for construction authorization. During the processing, reports were requested from the City Council of Villamuriel de Cerrato, the Duero Hydrographic Confederation, i-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes, the General Directorate of Natural Heritage and Forestry Policy, Civil Protection of Palencia, and the State Meteorological Agency, among other bodies.

The file incorporates the environmental impact statement issued on September 30, 2026, and published in the BOCYL on October 6, 2026, with reference EIAO/2025/PA/003, which does not require the relocation of the wind turbines nor a substantial modification of the project configuration.

A 25.8 megawatt hybrid park for self-consumption

The authorized installation combines two renewable technologies and a connection infrastructure entirely intended for the own consumption of the hydrogen plant, without the evacuation of surpluses to the grid. The characteristics detailed in the resolution are as follows:

• Solar photovoltaic installation of 12.6 MW nominal (13.73 MWp), with 42 inverters of 300 kW, single-axis trackers, and three transformation centers of 4,700 kVA.
• Wind installation of 13.2 MW, consisting of two Siemens Gamesa SG 170 wind turbines of 6.6 MW each, with a rotor diameter of 175 meters and a height of 115 meters.
• An OCR (switching and disconnecting device) that supplies electricity to the hydrogen generation plant, with a capacity of 10 MW.
• A transformation center CT4 of 2.75 MVA and a ratio of 45/30 kV, with one kilometer of high-voltage underground line to the generation and distribution center.
• Seven plots from polygons 508 and 509 in the municipality of Villamuriel de Cerrato (Palencia).

Environmental conditions for birds and bats

The environmental impact statement imposes specific protection measures for avifauna and chiropterans that must be incorporated into the execution project and the operational phase:

• Delay the startup of the wind turbines until wind speeds reach between 5 and 6 m/s during the early hours of the night, during the period of highest bat activity.
• Install bird collision detection and prevention systems.
• Create vegetative screens, wildlife refuge areas, and fencing permeable to the passage of wild fauna.
• Conduct prior surveys of protected flora and an environmental monitoring program with compensatory measures.

Deadlines and appeal process

The resolution does not exhaust the administrative route: an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) may be filed against it within one month before the Director General of Energy and Mines of the Junta de Castilla y León, in accordance with Law 39/2015. Once this period has elapsed without challenge, the authorization will be final. The text also reminds that the promoter must obtain any other authorization, license, or permit required by current legislation, and that the administration may void what has been granted if the imposed conditions are not met.

The regional approval clears the way for an industrial energy project that adds more than 25 megawatts of renewable generation in the Palentine Cerrato and aims to produce green hydrogen in an environment marked by the implementation of new industries and pressure on the area’s electrical grids.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 215, of November 6, 2026, section I.D Other provisions, pp. 427-432 (official reference: BOCYL-D-06112026-215-38).