Naturgy projects hybrid batteries in Fuenteálamo and opens period for allegations

The Official Gazette of the Province of Albacete number 129, dated Friday, November 6, 2026, publishes in its first section the announcement from the Industry and Energy Department of the Government Sub-delegation in Albacete, whereby the request for prior administrative authorization and administrative construction authorization for the storage facility “BESS Los Pedreros”, promoted by Naturgy Renovables, S.L.U. in the municipality of Fuenteálamo, is submitted for public information. The project hybridizes a battery system with the existing wind farm in the area and opens a fifteen-day period for submitting allegations.

A hybrid of batteries and flywheel over the existing wind farm

The projected installation combines a battery system with 25.08 MW of active power with a flywheel of 0.4 MW peak power, which are incorporated into the “Los Pedreros” wind farm, with 49.95 MW, already in service. Together, they form a hybrid installation with 55 MW of installed capacity, according to the official announcement.

The technical characteristics declared by the promoter are as follows:

• 20 battery containers, with a nominal capacity of 5.015 MWh per container and 1.254 MW of unit active power.
• 7 AC/DC-DC/AC converters with a total active power of 26.74 MW.
• One single-winding transformer (20/0.600 kV of 3,820 MVA) and three double-winding transformers (20/0.600-0.600 kV of 7,640 MVA).
• One flywheel with 400 kW peak power.
• A disconnecting center with eight cells and an auxiliary services transformer of 20/0.420-0.242 kV and 1,600 kVA.

The evacuation infrastructure is limited to a 20 kV underground line of approximately 327 meters to the “SET PE Los Pedreros 20/132 kV” substation and the expansion of that same substation, also located in Fuenteálamo. The remainder of the route to the transmission grid, at the SE La Pinilla 400 kV substation, owned by Red Eléctrica de España, S.A.U., is already in service and falls outside the scope of the file.

The declared material execution budget amounts to 12,497,003.66 euros. The purpose is to store part of the energy generated by the wind farm and defer its delivery, as well as to allow charging from the grid, to provide greater flexibility to the plant.

Who decides and where to appeal

The competent substantive body to resolve both authorizations is the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. The processing corresponds to the Industry and Energy Department of the Government Sub-delegation in Albacete, located at Avenida de España, number 7, 02002 Albacete, which is also the recipient of the allegations.

The file is identified by the reference PEol-FV-257-ALM and the project may be examined at that office or downloaded from the website of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory. Allegations shall be submitted in writing to the General Registry of the Sub-delegation or through the Electronic Registry of the General State Administration, in the forms provided for in Article 16 of Law 39/2015.

The period is fifteen days counting from the day following the publication of the announcement, which bears order number 27.843 and was signed in Albacete on October 16, 2026, by the head of the Industry and Energy Department, Ángel Ossorio Chapín.

Simplified processing and without additional environmental assessment

The procedure adheres to the simplification provided for in Article 6 of Royal Decree 997/2025, of November 5, on urgent measures to reinforce the electrical system, and its second final provision. Since the storage is located within the environmentally assessed polygonal area of the original project, the module is exempt from the simplified environmental impact assessment process.

As a result, the processing deadlines for the prior administrative and construction authorizations provided for in Articles 125, 126, 127, and 131 of Royal Decree 1955/2000, of December 1, are reduced by half. The announcement is further supported by Articles 53.1.a) and 53.1.b) of Law 24/2013, of December 26, on the Electricity Sector.

Impact for neighbors and owners

The publication directly affects residents and property owners in the surroundings of Fuenteálamo, who see an operational wind farm being expanded with storage and new associated electrical infrastructures. The announcement opens the way for individuals, city councils, and associations to submit observations regarding land occupation, the layout of the underground line, or the impact of the substation expansion. As this is a facility under state jurisdiction, the final decision does not correspond to the City Council but to the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines, which will resolve the matter once the public exhibition period has closed.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Albacete, no. 129, of November 6, 2026, First Section. State Administration, pp. 3-5 (official reference: 27.843).