Ministry authorizes Afrodita Solar for a battery module in Los Molares

The General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines, under the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, has granted Afrodita Solar, S.L. the prior administrative authorization and the administrative construction authorization for the battery storage module “BESS Afrodita,” with an installed capacity of 39.6 MW, hybridized with the existing “Afrodita” solar photovoltaic plant, of 46.2 MW, in the municipality of Los Molares (Seville). The resolution, signed on July 31, 2026, by the general director Manuel García Hernández, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Seville No. 187, dated September 25, 2026, with the official reference BOP-SE-2026-187031 (file PFot-ALM-199).

Scope of the authorization

The administrative act resolves the promoter’s request in a single document, which jointly sought the prior authorization, the construction authorization, and the exemption from the simplified environmental assessment procedure. The General Directorate invokes the principles of speed and procedural economy to issue a single resolution.

The objective of the project is the construction of a battery storage module for the hybridization of the “Afrodita” photovoltaic plant. Its operation will allow for the storage of energy coming from the solar plant as well as energy acquired from the grid, for its subsequent management and delivery back to the grid.

The authorizations are granted without prejudice to the concessions and permits necessary regarding land use planning, environment, and industrial safety, as well as other authorizations required to execute the work.

Technical characteristics of the installation

According to the annex of the resolution, the main characteristics of the system are:

• Storage type: lithium-ion.
• Installed storage capacity: 39.60 MW, in accordance with Article 5 of Royal Decree 997/2025, of November 5.
• Energy storage capacity: 140.42 MWh.
• Battery system duration: 4 hours.
• Inverters: 168, with a maximum power of 236.4 kW.
• Maximum active power of the MV/LV transformer: 39.60 MW; of the HV/MV transformer: 130 MW.
• Generation and consumption access capacity: 40.83 MW in both cases, according to the permits granted by Red Eléctrica de España, S.A.U.

Evacuation will be carried out via a 30 kV medium-voltage underground line to a new sectioning center and, from there, to the existing Atenea 30/220 kV substation, utilizing the facilities of the photovoltaic plant. The remainder of the route to the Don Rodrigo 400 kV substation uses existing infrastructure.

Processing, reports, and background

The promoter submitted the application on December 22, 2025, which was rectified on February 9, 2026. The file was initiated in the Industry and Energy Area of the Government Sub-delegation in Seville and processed in accordance with articles 127 and 131 of Royal Decree 1955/2000, of December 1, with the reduction of deadlines provided for in Royal Decree 997/2025.

The petition was subject to public consultation, with publication on February 13, 2026, in the Official Gazette of the Province of Seville and on February 25, 2026, in the Official State Gazette. No allegations were received. The Industry and Energy Area issued a report on May 7, 2026.

The “Afrodita” photovoltaic plant is registered in the Administrative Registry of Electric Power Production Facilities under number RE-115277 and has access and connection permits at the Don Rodrigo 400 kV substation. Red Eléctrica de España, S.A.U. updated these permits on August 20, 2025, to incorporate the battery module. The distribution of responsibilities between holders sharing an evacuation position was established in the agreement signed on June 8, 2026, pursuant to article 21.5 of Law 24/2013, of December 26, of the Electricity Sector.

Deadlines and appeal process

The deadline for obtaining the operating authorization is governed by article 1 of Royal Decree-Law 23/2020, of June 23. The promoter may request, within a period not exceeding three months from obtaining the construction authorization, an extension of that period under article 25 of Royal Decree-Law 7/2026, of March 20, provided that the maximum date for obtaining the final operating authorization does not exceed December 31, 2030.

Against the resolution, which does not exhaust administrative remedies, an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) may be filed before the holder of the Secretary of State for Energy within one month from the day following its notification or publication.

The authorization consolidates a hybridization project in the region that adds 39.6 MW of storage to an already operational solar plant of 46.2 MW, a formula that allows for better management of the energy produced and its discharge into the grid when it is most useful. For Los Molares and its surroundings, the resolution clears the administrative processing of an installation that reinforces the storage capacity of the electrical system in the province of Seville.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Seville, no. 187, September 25, 2026, State Administration, pp. 198-208 (official reference: BOP-SE-2026-187031).