Greenalia Withdraws Mistral Wind Farm (106 MW): Key Insights for Renewable Developers

Key data

A wind project of 106.4 MW and more than six years of proceedings ends in withdrawal. Not due to lack of wind, nor social opposition, nor technical problems with the farm: but because there is no room in the electrical grid to connect it. Greenalia Wind Power Mistral, SLU formalized the abandonment of the «Mistral» wind farm in the province of Lugo, and the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines accepted the withdrawal through resolution of 25 September 2026, published in the BOE of 19 October 2026.

The project had started its proceedings in 2020. After years of administrative procedure, the company encountered an insurmountable obstacle: the supervening impossibility of obtaining permission for access and connection to the transmission network, an essential requirement under the Law 24/2013 on the Electricity Sector to obtain prior administrative authorization.

What does this resolution establish?

The resolution accepts the withdrawal presented by Greenalia Wind Power Mistral, SLU regarding the request for prior administrative authorization of the «Mistral» wind farm and its evacuation infrastructure. The key points are:

• Reason for withdrawal: supervening impossibility of obtaining permission for access and connection to the electricity transmission network, without which prior administrative authorization cannot be processed in accordance with Law 24/2013.
• Nodes attempted without success: the company previously withdrew from the Meirama 220 kV node and could not access the Abegondo 220 kV node.
• Separation of files: the resolution formally separates the proceedings of the «Mistral» wind farm from the «Nordés» wind farm, which continues its file independently.
• Return of guarantees: the developer requests the return of deposited guarantees for a total amount of €5,824,000.

Economic and operational impact

This case has direct consequences for any renewable developer operating or planning to operate in Spain:

• Opportunity cost: more than six years of proceedings (2020-2026) and €5.824 million in immobilized guarantees now requested for return. The actual cost of the project also includes technical, legal and administrative resources invested during that period.
• Grid barrier as systemic risk: saturation of transmission network nodes is not a one-off problem. The inability to access first Meirama 220 kV and then Abegondo 220 kV reflects a structural constraint affecting multiple projects in proceedings in Galicia and other regions.
• Continuity of Nordés farm: the separation of files protects the proceedings of the «Nordés» farm, preventing the withdrawal of «Mistral» from dragging down other projects by the same developer.
• Market signal: the withdrawal of a 106.4 MW project —a relevant size— reinforces the perception that the bottleneck in Spain is not in environmental permits or social acceptance, but in the grid's evacuation capacity.

Who does it affect?

• Wind and solar farm developers with projects in proceedings that depend on saturated transmission network nodes.
• Investors and renewable infrastructure funds evaluating the risk of projects in prior administrative authorization phase.
• CFOs and financial directors of energy companies with guarantees deposited in projects with connection uncertainty.
• Legal advisors and energy consultants managing authorization files before the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines.
• State energy administration (MITECO, REE/Red Eléctrica) in its function of planning and managing the transmission network.

Practical example

The Greenalia case illustrates with precision the financial and temporal risk assumed by any wind developer in Spain today:

Greenalia Wind Power Mistral, SLU began proceedings for the «Mistral» farm in 2020 with a capacity of 106.4 MW. To request prior administrative authorization —the first major milestone in the process— it needed to prove permission for access and connection to the transmission network. The company attempted to connect to the Meirama 220 kV node, which it eventually withdrew from, and then to the Abegondo 220 kV node, which it also could not obtain.

Result: in October 2026, six years after the start, the project is formally abandoned. The €5,824,000 in deposited guarantees remain pending return. The «Nordés» farm, which shares the same developer, is separated from the file and continues its proceedings independently, representing the only operational exit that preserves value for the group.

The lesson for other developers is clear: before starting the administrative proceedings for a renewable farm, the viability of the connection point to the transmission network must be verified as a prior and critical step, not as a parallel procedure.

What should companies do now?

1. Audit the status of access and connection permits for all projects in portfolio before continuing to invest in administrative proceedings. Grid access is the sine qua non condition under Law 24/2013.
2. Review available connection nodes in coordination with Red Eléctrica de España (REE), identifying viable alternatives before committing additional guarantees.
3. Formally separate files for different projects sharing the same developer, to prevent the withdrawal of one from contaminating the proceedings of others (as Greenalia did with «Mistral» and «Nordés»).
4. Manage the return of guarantees immediately in withdrawn projects, properly documenting the withdrawal before the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines to activate the reimbursement procedure.
5. Incorporate grid risk as a critical variable in valuation models and due diligence of renewable projects in Spain, especially in Galicia and other areas with saturation of 220 kV nodes.

Official source

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-21768