Battery energy storage project pipeline in Spain surges 464% year-on-year

Energy storage stood out in Spain’s renewable pipeline in the first quarter of 2026, showing strong growth and rising importance in the permitting process, especially compared with the previous year. According to the Renewable Energy Observatory quarterly report prepared by Opina 360, based on data from the Official State Gazette and regional bulletins across Spain’s autonomous communities, a total of 96 projects representing 2,121.5 MW entered the public consultation phase, a 464% increase year-on-year (+1,745.8 MW), despite a slight quarterly decline.

Battery systems accounted for the overwhelming majority of this capacity, representing 98.9% (2,098.2 MW), either as standalone installations or co-located with generation assets.

At the administrative level, regional governments process a larger number of projects, while the Ministry for Ecological Transition concentrates most of the capacity under review, with 62.4% (1,324.8 MW) in the public information phase.

In more advanced stages, 46 storage projects received a favorable environmental impact statement, totalling 1,144.6 MW, while 15 projects obtained construction authorization, representing 239.6 MW—almost all of which correspond to battery storage systems. Notably, preliminary administrative approval was also granted to a 1,014 MW pumped-storage hydroelectric project in Cantabria, which accounts for the bulk of capacity in this stage.

Regionally, Andalusia leads in capacity under public information (630 MW), followed by the Valencian Community and Extremadura, while Castilla-La Mancha leads in projects that have received favorable environmental assessments.

PV slows down

In the first quarter of 2026, Spanish authorities granted construction permits for 102 renewable energy projects with a combined planned capacity of 1,272.7 MW,.

During this period, photovoltaic technology continued to dominate the pipeline of new renewable developments, accounting for nearly all capacity approved for construction. Of the total, 1,242.1 MW – equivalent to 97.6% – corresponded to solar PV projects.

Solar also maintained a leading position across earlier stages of development. It represented 67.8% of projects in the public information phase, totaling 1,674.5 MW out of 2,469.8 MW. This dominance persisted in more advanced permitting stages, with photovoltaics accounting for 71.6% of capacity with a favorable environmental impact statement (2,181.3 MW) and 68.6% of capacity with prior administrative authorization (587.2 MW).

Geographically, the Basque Country, Castile and León, Aragon, and Andalusia concentrate a significant share of capacity across various stages of the planning process. However, despite this strong presence, the overall volume of projects in the public consultation phase fell sharply year-on-year (−1,353.2 MW compared with Q1 2025), signalling a clear slowdown in new project entries.

Photovoltaics is also increasingly present in hybrid configurations with storage, although still at a limited scale – 23.3 MW in the public information phase and 83.5 MW with a favorable environmental declaration.

By contrast, rejected renewable project capacity exceeded approved capacity by nearly 500 MW in the first part of the year, indicating continued regulatory selectivity.

From pv magazine Spain