Environmental green light for four hybrid photovoltaic parks in Albacete

The General Directorate of Environmental Quality and Assessment of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has issued a favorable environmental impact statement (DIA) for the project “Breña, Cerroblanco, Torviscal, and Majales photovoltaic parks for hybridization with the existing Breña, Cerroblanco, Torviscal, and Majales wind farms, in the province of Albacete.” The resolution, dated August 31, 2026, is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) number 224, dated September 10, 2026, in section III, page 121116, with the official reference BOE-A-2026-18976.

The project consists of combining wind and solar generation from four facilities, taking advantage of existing evacuation infrastructures and the current connection point to the transmission grid at the Pinilla 400 kV substation, owned by Red Eléctrica de España, without increasing the previously authorized access and connection capacity. The promoter is Acciona Eólica de Castilla-La Mancha, SL, which on June 15, 2026, changed its corporate name to OPDEnergy Eólica de Castilla La Mancha, SL, without modification of its legal personality.

Four plants to hybridize with the wind farms

The photovoltaic plants are distributed across the municipalities of Masegoso, Casas de Lázaro, and Alcaraz, in the vicinity of the wind farms with which they are being hybridized. Together, they comprise 217,800 bifacial monocrystalline silicon modules of 620 Wp and a total fenced area of 250.21 hectares, with an estimated useful life of 30 years.

• Breña: 30.56 MW, to hybridize with the 36 MW wind farm; 68.70 fenced ha.
• Cerroblanco: 52.77 MW, to hybridize with the 48 MW wind farm; 48.66 ha.
• Torviscal: 26.38 MW, to hybridize with the 24 MW wind farm; 48.57 ha.
• Majales: 49 MW, to hybridize with the 49.5 MW wind farm; 84.28 ha.

The energy will be evacuated via medium-voltage underground lines to the SET Torviscal 132/30-12 kV transformer substation, shared with the wind farms, and from there to the transmission grid. During the processing, it was agreed to fully bury the evacuation line of the Majales plant, replacing the 148-meter aerial section planned to cross the Masegoso river.

An accumulated and extensively consulted file

The four projects, which share substantial identity, evacuation infrastructure, and promoter, were accumulated into a single file on June 17, 2025. The procedure included public information in the BOE between 2023 and 2024 and consultations with the affected administrations, from which 18 reports and one private allegation were obtained.

• The Júcar Hydrographic Confederation initially issued an unfavorable report due to insufficient hydrological information, and after receiving complementary documentation, reported favorably with prescriptions.
• The Vice-Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha reported favorably with conditions for archaeological control.
• The regional Directorate General for Natural Environment and Biodiversity noted the specific impact on the Cañada Real de Andalucía a Valencia.
• The Spanish Office for Climate Change positively assessed the project’s contribution to mitigation, with conditions regarding the soil as a carbon sink.

Impact and conditions

According to the environmental documentation, approximately 3.1 million tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions will be avoided during the useful life of the facilities compared to a non-renewable generation scenario. The promoter also anticipates favorable socioeconomic effects from the investment and job creation, which could contribute to maintaining the population in rural areas.

The EIA establishes a wide set of preventive, corrective, and compensatory measures, including the protection of the public hydraulic domain, the preservation of ecological corridors, the replacement of seedlings in plantations when mortality exceeds 20%, and the maintenance of vegetative screens throughout the operation. The resolution does not exempt the promoter from obtaining the environmental and sectoral authorizations that are legally required.

The declaration represents a decisive step for the hybridization of wind and solar energy in Castilla-La Mancha, optimizing existing infrastructures and reinforcing the continuity of renewable generation in a key province for the demographic challenge and the energy transition.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 224, September 10, 2026, Sec. III, page 121116 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-18976).