Red Eléctrica de España published for the first time the demand access capacity maps on the transmission network, formally incorporating the consumption perspective into the access and connection scheme.
The resulting picture shows a highly strained network: only 25% of the nodes currently have capacity for new demand , either through general priority or through a tender.
The system operator details that in the transport network there are access and connection permits granted for a volume of 129 GW in wind and photovoltaic installations , in addition to 16 GW in storage and 19 GW in demand installations .
This level of commitment explains the high nodal occupancy reflected in the new maps.
In the case of demand, since the approval of the current planning in 2022 , 11.8 GW of capacity has been granted for new loads , although none of them have yet become operational.
These facilities have a period of five years from the granting of the permit for their commissioning.
The volume of demand with permits already granted and pending connection exclusively to the transmission network would represent, in aggregate terms, an increase of close to 25% of the country's current electricity demand , which introduces an additional element of pressure on planning and on the actual absorption capacity of the system.
According to the updated data, the system has 38,646 MW available for demand with a power electronics interface (CEP) that meets voltage dips , a value calculated as the minimum unoccupied margin under WSCR criteria, static generation and dynamic 1.
In parallel, the available capacity for CEP storage amounts to 92,887 MW , corresponding to the minimum of the unoccupied margins under static storage and dynamic criteria.
The official file of the General Directorate of Operation breaks down the access capacity occupied by demand and storage by connection position , differentiating between power in service and power pending commissioning.
Furthermore, it identifies voltage level, autonomous community and network type (transmission or distribution), allowing the location of effective saturation: in numerous 400 kV nodes, more than 300 MW are already committed , and even positions exceeding 500 MW between capacity in service and pending , which shows a high concentration of occupation in certain areas of the system.
Until now, the promoters only had the generational photograph.
With this publication, the system operator adds visibility on the margin available for new consumption and storage, under the three applicable technical criteria: static, dynamic and, where appropriate, short-circuit power.
At the territorial level, Galicia has 9,309 MW available for CEP demand , Castilla y León 7,855 MW and Andalucía 7,434 MW , positioning themselves as the communities with the highest aggregate margin.
In terms of storage, Castilla y León has over 18,000 MW available , Aragón has around 11,000 MW , and Andalusia and Galicia have over 10,000 MW , making these regions potential hubs for the development of flexibility.
These added values, excluding bi-nuclear energy, constitute a key benchmark for industrial projects, process electrification, data centers, hydrogen, and large-scale storage. APPA Renovables emphasizes that this is "a key benchmark for the development of demand and storage projects."
The association warns that "capacity may be affected by reserves for tenders, shared capacity zones or pending reference values," which requires a detailed node-by-node analysis.
In that sense, the published margins reflect the situation under the applicable technical-regulatory criteria, but do not guarantee automatic availability.
The new publication also incorporates the total volume of firm demand and storage permits granted, the margin still available to be granted and the limiting criterion at each node, the differentiation between CEP1 and CEP2 consumption, and the access capacity of the distribution network when there is an agreed reference value.
This last point is crucial in territories where transport-distribution coordination conditions the real viability of projects.
During the sector webinar following the publication, it was emphasized that the tool aims to provide the market with early visibility to plan investments, especially in an environment with high renewable penetration.
It was emphasized that the reading should be done considering that the published value is always the minimum technical value between criteria, which can mean that a single factor such as short-circuit power completely limits the development at a specific node.
The move comes in a context marked by renewable energy spillovers, negative prices and high capacity utilization at numerous nodes , where flexible demand is positioned as a structural tool to balance the system.
In the webinar following the publication, it was emphasized that incorporating the demand perspective allows generation and consumption to be aligned under the same planning logic.
UNEF emphasizes that allowing access to storage as flexible consumption has a direct economic impact.
According to industry data cited by the association, "an asset that cannot consume from the grid receives 20,653 euros/MW less than if it could have been connected," which implies approximately 9% less annual revenue in the 2025 scenario.
They also detail that during the second and third quarters there is an average drop of close to 5%, while from October onwards the gap reaches up to 14% in certain months.
For the photovoltaic association, this difference demonstrates the urgency of accelerating storage connections as flexible consumption, in a context of growing appetite from demand and storage.
With this update, Red Eléctrica expands the level of detail available for access and connection analysis, formally incorporating the demand variable into nodal planning. From now on, generation, storage, and flexible consumption are presented under the same technical framework, which modifies how the feasibility of new developments is evaluated.
For utilities, investment funds, storage developers, and large industrial consumers, the new mapping introduces a more precise framework for decision-making regarding project location, power, and timing.
The next step will depend on how the access processes, the reserves for the tender and the regulatory coordination evolve, factors that will condition the actual materialization of the 38,646 MW of demand and 92,887 MW of storage identified as available margin.