Photovoltaic panel recycling in Valverde opens for public consultation

The General Directorate for Sustainable Management and Forestry Policy of the Regional Ministry of Industry, Energy, Science and Territory has opened the public information process for the application for unified environmental authorization (AAU) for a photovoltaic panel recycling center in the municipality of Valverde de Leganés (Badajoz). The announcement, signed on August 28, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura number 172, dated September 4, 2026, with the official reference 2026081484.

The project is promoted by the company Solar 55 Reciclaje Fotovoltaico, SL and is part of the circular economy linked to the boom in solar energy in the region. The application may be examined for 20 business days starting from the day following the publication of the announcement, at the offices of the General Directorate, by appointment via email at exp.sostenibilidad@juntaex.es.

A process supported by Law 16/2015

The action is based on Article 16, point 5, of Law 16/2015, of April 23, on environmental protection of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, modified by Decree-law 3/2021, of March 3. The activity is categorized under group 9 of Annex II of the aforementioned law, in sections 9.1 and 9.6, relating to waste recovery or disposal facilities and non-hazardous and hazardous waste management facilities through prior storage.

The AAU is the instrument that authorizes and conditions the execution and commissioning of the activity from an environmental point of view, and shall precede, where applicable, other sectoral authorizations or mandatory licenses, such as substantive industrial and urban planning licenses. The competent body to resolve is the General Directorate for Sustainable Management and Forestry Policy itself.

An industrial warehouse for mechanical treatment

The center will be located in an existing rented industrial warehouse, built in 2006, situated on the Badajoz road, no. 1G, in Valverde de Leganés. The plot, classified as urban land for industrial use, has an area of 1,789.00 m², with a useful warehouse area of 1,687.96 m², and cadastral reference 6019601PC7861N0001IY.

The activity consists of the reception and classification of the panels, the removal of frames, wiring, and junction boxes, the separation of glass, the mechanical crushing of components, and the subsequent classification and storage of the recovered fractions. No thermal processes, combustion, or chemical treatments are performed.

• Annual treatment capacity: 13,140 t/year.
• Maximum storage capacity: 168.05 t.
• Managed waste: silicon (Si) photovoltaic panels, EWC-WEEE code 160214-71, of professional origin.

Recovery operations and citizen participation

In accordance with Royal Decree 110/2015, the planned recovery operations are waste classification (R1201), dismantling and separation of components (R1202), mechanical treatment (R1203), and storage within the scope of collection (R1301) and treatment (R1302). The facilities are organized into reception and weighing, administrative, raw materials, production, component separation, and transit zones.

Natural or legal persons may submit suggestions and allegations during the indicated period, at the locations provided for in Article 7 of Decree 257/2009, of December 18, and in Article 16.4 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, addressed to the Environmental Prevention, Quality, and Climate Change Service. Simultaneously, the application will be forwarded to the City Council so that it may issue the technical report on the suitability of the facility regarding the aspects within its competence.

The initiative represents a significant step toward providing Extremadura with photovoltaic waste recycling infrastructure, a growing challenge as solar plants installed in the region mature. The announcement, signed in Mérida by Director General Juan Eloy Rodríguez Ucedo, opens the door to citizen participation in a circular economy project with a direct impact on the territory.

Source: Official Gazette of Extremadura, number 172, September 4, 2026, section IV (official reference: 2026081484).