The Official State Gazette (BOE) acted as a veritable filter for Spain's renewable energy portfolio in August. Between applications rejected by the Administration and projects abandoned by their developers, the month left 1,385.8 MW out of the application process , a figure that reflects both the tightening of administrative filters and the restructuring of projects currently underway in the sector.
The balance comprises 862.3 MW corresponding to eight rejected projects and another 523.5 MW linked to nine withdrawals . Although both results reduce capacity in the development portfolio, they stem from different decisions: rejection implies a refusal by the Administration to the submitted application; withdrawal, on the other hand, comes from the developer themselves, who decides not to continue with the process.
This distinction is key to interpreting the August map. The rejections reflect projects that failed to complete the approval process as originally planned. Withdrawals may be due to a portfolio reorganization, changes in the technical configuration or network access, and, in some cases, the need to close a file to protect guarantees or present an alternative. However, the resolutions included in the mapping do not allow us to attribute a specific reason to each withdrawal.
Aceca leads the dismissals
The biggest individual blow was for Iberdrola Generación Térmica , which received the dismissal of the applications for prior administrative authorization, construction authorization and declaration of public utility of the FV Aceca photovoltaic park.
The plant, planned for Toledo with a capacity of 347.51 MW , was intended to be hybridized with the Aceca combined cycle power plant. Its cancellation alone represents approximately 40% of all the power capacity rejected during the month.
Iberdrola suffered another setback in Soria. The regional government rejected the construction permit and the declaration of public utility for the 32.655 MW Radona II photovoltaic module, which was planned to be integrated with an existing wind farm. In total, the rejections associated with the group reached 380.2 MW in August.
Solaria also saw two photovoltaic plants in its portfolio fall by the wayside. Carina Solar 9 , with 49.4 MW in Toledo, and Carina Solar 10 , with another 49.4 MW between Toledo and Madrid, received rejections for their applications for prior authorization and construction permits. The two facilities together have a capacity of 98.8 MW .
FV Caiba , from Desarrollos Renovables Iberia Dzeta, was added to these files. The plant, planned for Madrid with a capacity of 199.8 MW , had its application for prior administrative authorization rejected.
The series of rejections in Galicia was completed with the Satrebares wind farm, promoted by Maracaibo Solar. Its 125 MW , spread between Lugo and A Coruña, were eliminated after the prior authorization was denied.
Huelva accounts for 231.6 MW of solar withdrawals
Despite administrative rejections, Huelva saw the highest concentration of voluntary withdrawals across the country. In just three days, the Official State Gazette (BOE) published the acceptance of the withdrawal of four photovoltaic plants totaling 231.6 MW .
Savanna Power withdrew its applications for building permits for Ciudad de Tartessos I (59.09 MW) and Ciudad de Tartessos II (60.569 MW). The projects primarily affected Trigueros, although the former extended its facilities into San Juan del Puerto, Moguer, and Palos de la Frontera.
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Arena Power did the same with Campos del Condado IV , with a capacity of 54,425 MW, and Campos del Condado VI , with a capacity of 57,535 MW. Both plants were planned in the area around Beas and Trigueros, with facilities for the second project also located in Gibraleón.
The sequence of events made Huelva the epicenter of solar restructuring in August. In addition to these cases, Andalusia also saw the withdrawal of the 62.7 MW Taraguilla wind farm in Cádiz. In total, the region accumulated 294.3 MW of voluntarily withdrawn capacity during the month.
Soria loses almost 200 MW of wind and hybrid power
Soria was the other major area of lost capacity, with 191.4 MW distributed between two wind farms and three photovoltaic modules intended to hybridize existing facilities.
Nicewinds Partners has withdrawn its applications for prior authorization for the Cerro de Magaña and Pasama wind farms, both with a capacity of 50.1 MW. The two projects shared part of their land area in the northeast of the province.
To those 100.2 MW of wind power were added three rejections of photovoltaic modules. Biovent Energía lost Tarayuela , of 30 MW, and Hontalbilla II , of 28.5 MW. Iberdrola, for its part, received the rejection of Radona II , of 32.655 MW.
In this case, the screening specifically affected the hybrid expansion of existing wind farms: the baseload wind capacity does not necessarily disappear, but the additional 91.2 MW of photovoltaic capacity with which the developers intended to take advantage of their infrastructure and connection points does.
Solaria also withdraws 70 MW of wind power
Solaria's portfolio in August included both rejections and withdrawals. In addition to the 98.8 MW of solar projects rejected in Carina 9 and 10, the company relinquished its request for prior authorization for the 70 MW Aquarii wind farm in León, a project planned as a hybrid of the Aquarii Solar plant.
Overall, Solaria saw 168.8 MW released from processing, although through different administrative channels: 98.8 MW were rejected and 70 MW were withdrawn by decision of the promoter.
Naturgy also withdrew from the San Blas hybrid project in Valladolid, which consisted of 39 MW of photovoltaics and 20 MW of storage. This withdrawal affected 59 MW of new hybrid capacity , one of the few projects that failed this month that included batteries.
A portfolio cleanup of almost 1.4 GW
The August balance shows a considerable portfolio cleanup: 1385.8 MW between rejected and withdrawn projects, with Toledo, Madrid, Soria, Huelva and Galicia as the main focuses.
The picture, however, requires distinguishing between two dynamics. On the one hand, the 862.3 MW rejected show the capacity that failed to pass the administrative filter under the presented conditions. On the other hand, the 523.5 MW withdrawn point to developers who are voluntarily reducing, reorganizing, or rethinking their portfolios.
The practical result is the same: almost 1.4 GW are dropping out of the administrative process. But the reasons for this decline offer a better understanding of the sector's current situation. While some megaprojects encounter a formal rejection, others are withdrawn before reaching the end of the procedure, in a market where the availability of grid connections, deadlines, and economic viability are forcing increasingly rigorous selection processes to determine which capacity moves forward.