Environment exempts the Ortiguero substation from ordinary evaluation

The Regional Ministry of Mobility, Environment and Emergency Management of the Principality of Asturias has exempted the “Ortiguero (220/132/50/24 kV)” substation, the 132 kV power line connecting to the “Cangas-Arenas” LAT, and the 24 kV evacuation lines, in the councils of Cabrales and Llanes, from the ordinary environmental impact assessment procedure. This is done through the Resolution of October 8, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias (BOPA) No. 204, of October 21, 2026 (Code 2026-08317), which determines that the project “will not have significant effects on the environment.” The case file is IA-IA-0059/25//AUTO/2025/6834.

A simplified procedure under Law 21/2013

The resolution is issued under Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment, whose article 7.2 subjects power lines with a voltage equal to or greater than 15 kV and a length exceeding 3 km, including their associated substations, to a simplified assessment. The project fits into Annex II, group 4 (energy industry), heading b), as the total length of the lines (60 m of 132 kV and 15,408 m of 24 kV) exceeds that threshold.

The substantive body is the Energy Management Service, attached to the Directorate General for Energy and Mining, which submitted the request on April 15, 2025. The Environmental Assessment Service opened the consultation period on May 16, 2025, and the BOPA of June 2, 2025 published the public notice to unknown interested parties. The resolution is signed by the Director General for the Environment by delegation (Resolution of May 8, 2025, BOPA No. 88, of May 9, 2025).

Technical objection regarding two priority habitats

During the consultation phase, the Environmental Management and Fire Prevention Service of the Directorate General for Territory Custody and Fire Prevention issued a report on June 13, 2025, in which it considered the development of Alternative 2 to be “more appropriate from an environmental point of view” compared to Alternative 1 defended by the promoter. The reason was the repercussions on two priority habitats of community interest:

• EU Code 4020*: wet heaths of Erica ciliaris and Erica tetralix.
• EU Code 7110*: active raised bogs.

The promoter responded on February 11, 2026, with a report on the vegetation of the affected wetlands, signed by researchers from the Atlantic Botanical Garden of the University of Oviedo, which was forwarded to the competent regional bodies for protected spaces and species. Ultimately, Alternative 1 is adopted, both for the location of the substation and for the layout of the overhead lines.

The town councils of Cangas de Onís (06/25/2025), Peñamellera Baja (07/02/2025), Ribadesella (07/17/2025), and Onís (08/11/2025) submitted their public exhibition certificates, with no allegations recorded as having been presented during those periods.

Project figures

• Earthworks: 23,960 m³ in excavation and 27,425 m³ in embankment.
• Area affected by the substation: 13,400 m².
• Overhead sections: 60 m of 132 kV and 15,408 m of 24 kV, divided into seven sections (793, 537, 131, 7,237, 3,300, 1,759, and 1,651 m).
• Promoters: Hidrocantábrico Distribución Eléctrica, S. A. U. and Viesgo Distribución Eléctrica, S. L.

Vegetation screening facing the Camino de los Santuarios

The environmental conditions require the protection of the cultural and landscape values of the area, “mainly represented by the so-called Camino de Los Santuarios.” The technical solution will include vegetation screening with native species in the strip between the path’s route and the substation site, and the undergrounding of the line sections around the perimeter of the infrastructure. These actions will require the prior opinion of the Cultural Institutions and Heritage Protection Service, in accordance with the agreement of October 31, 2025, of the Permanent Commission of the Cultural Heritage Council of Asturias.

The remainder of the conditions covers the restoration of slopes, high-density hydroseeding (2 kg/100 m²), waste management in accordance with Law 7/2022 and Royal Decree 105/2008, control of invasive species, and water quality monitoring, with a report from the Cantabrian Hydrographic Confederation dated July 22, 2025. The promoter will be responsible for spring failures for at least 5 years.

Background and validity

The resolution refers to two previous pronouncements from the same Department: the strategic environmental report of August 17, 2026 (File IA-PP-0131/2025//AUTO/2025/18376, BOPA of 08/27/2026) and the environmental impact assessment of the 220 kV transmission substation promoted by Red Eléctrica de España (REE), dated July 29, 2026 (File IA-IA-0004/2025//AUTO/2025/986, BOPA of 08/10/2026), which will be located near this facility.

The report will lose its validity if the project does not obtain authorization within a maximum period of four years from its publication. The full text of the annexes is available on the Principality’s website.

The decision clears the environmental process for an electrical infrastructure that affects two councils of eastern Asturias and will coexist with the new 220 kV transmission substation, in a well-preserved rural environment crossed by the Camino de los Santuarios. The file is now in the hands of the substantive body, which must incorporate the environmental conditions into the project authorization.

Source: Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias, no. 204 of October 21, 2026, section I (Other Provisions), pages 1-5 (official reference: Code 2026-08317).