Key data
| Regulation | Resolution of June 15, 2026, from the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines |
|---|---|
| BOE Publication | July 10, 2026 |
| Effective date | July 10, 2026 |
| Developer | Statkraft Iberia Tres, SLU |
| Project | «Lagunillas» wind park, province of Málaga |
| Cancelled capacity | 65.7 MW |
| File | PEol-958 |
| Evacuation substation | Tajo de la Encantada 220 kV |
| Expiry of access and connection permits | May 2026 |
| Legal basis for withdrawal | Article 94 of Law 39/2015 |
| Category | Energy / Renewables |
| Year | 2026 |
A wind project of 65.7 MW that had been in processing since January 2024 has just been definitively cancelled in Málaga. Statkraft Iberia Tres, SLU, has formally renounced the prior administrative authorization of the «Lagunillas» park, and the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines has accepted this withdrawal through a resolution of June 15, 2026, published in the BOE on July 10, 2026.
The reason is not a typical business strategic decision: the project was blocked when it was determined that it must undergo full ordinary environmental assessment, the most demanding and lengthy procedure provided for in Spanish legislation. Faced with this prospect, the developer considered the project unfeasible and opted for formal withdrawal under article 94 of Law 39/2015 on Common Administrative Procedure.
What does this resolution establish?
The resolution formalizes three simultaneous legal effects:
- Acceptance of the withdrawal presented by Statkraft Iberia Tres, SLU, regarding the request for prior administrative authorization of the «Lagunillas» wind park and its evacuation infrastructure.
- Filing of file PEol-958, which means that the project is extinguished without the possibility of reactivation under the same file.
- Express recognition by the developer that unfeasibility is due to causes not attributable to it, but rather to the result of the environmental assessment process that determined the need for full ordinary processing.
The project had been requested in January 2024 and included, in addition to the wind park, its evacuation infrastructure with planned connection to the Tajo de la Encantada 220 kV substation. Access and connection permits to that substation expired in May 2026, which also eliminated the technical feasibility of resuming the project in the short term.
Economic and operational impact
The cancellation of Lagunillas is not an isolated case: it is a symptom of a trend that is directly affecting the portfolio of wind projects in Spain. The implications are multiple:
- Loss of installed capacity: 65.7 MW that will not be incorporated into the Spanish electrical system, with the consequent impact on the objectives of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC).
- Opportunity cost for the developer: Statkraft Iberia Tres will have incurred development costs, technical studies, environmental studies, and connection costs from January 2024 until the date of withdrawal, with no return whatsoever.
- Expiry of network permits: Access and connection permits to Tajo de la Encantada 220 kV expired in May 2026. Recovering that position on the network would require initiating a new permit request process from scratch, with current processing queues.
- Signal of regulatory risk: The fact that the developer expressly acknowledges that unfeasibility is not attributable to it puts the focus on the administration and the environmental assessment process as a systemic risk factor for the sector.
Who does it affect?
- Wind park developers with projects in processing in Spain, especially in areas with high environmental sensitivity.
- Investors and renewable infrastructure funds that evaluate the risk of developing wind assets in the Iberian Peninsula.
- Companies with access and connection permits about to expire: the expiry of Tajo de la Encantada permits in May 2026 is a reminder of the deadlines running parallel to environmental processing.
- Legal advisors and environmental consultants managing portfolios of renewable projects and who must anticipate the risk of ordinary environmental assessment.
- State energy administration (General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines), which sees its portfolio of projects in processing reduced.
- Spanish wind sector in general, given the cumulative impact of similar cancellations on installed renewable capacity objectives.
Practical example
A developer with a 50 MW wind park in processing in a mountainous area of Andalusia receives notification that its project must undergo ordinary environmental assessment instead of the simplified procedure initially planned. This implies, at minimum, between 18 and 36 additional months of processing, the preparation of a complete Environmental Impact Study, and uncertainty about the final outcome.
If its access and connection permits to the reference substation have limited validity—as happened with Lagunillas and Tajo de la Encantada 220 kV, whose permits expired in May 2026—the company faces double pressure: the clock of environmental processing and the clock of network permits. If both deadlines do not align, the project may become technically unfeasible even if environmental assessment is ultimately favorable. In that scenario, formal withdrawal under article 94 of Law 39/2015—as Statkraft did—is the most orderly legal way out.
What should companies do now?
- Review the environmental status of each project in the portfolio: Identify which are pending determination on the type of environmental assessment applicable (simplified or ordinary). Ordinary assessment can make a project unfeasible in terms of timelines and costs.
- Verify the validity of access and connection permits: Network permits have expiry deadlines. If environmental processing is prolonged, permits may expire before the project obtains authorization. Check the deadline dates for each file.
- Evaluate the unfeasibility threshold before continuing to invest: If a project enters ordinary environmental assessment and connection permits are about to expire, calculate the cost of continuing versus the cost of withdrawing in an orderly manner.
- Document the cause of unfeasibility if withdrawal is chosen: As Statkraft did in file PEol-958, leaving express record that unfeasibility is not attributable to the developer can be relevant for claims or future new requests.
- Monitor environmental assessment criteria in sensitive areas: Anticipate which projects are more likely to be referred to ordinary assessment based on location and environmental characteristics.
Frequently asked questions
Why was the Lagunillas wind park in Málaga cancelled?
Because the administration determined that the project must undergo full ordinary environmental assessment, the most demanding procedure. Statkraft Iberia Tres considered that processing unfeasible and presented formal withdrawal under article 94 of Law 39/2015. The developer expressly acknowledged that unfeasibility was not attributable to it.
What is file PEol-958 and what does its filing mean?
PEol-958 is the administrative file number for the «Lagunillas» wind park (65.7 MW, Málaga), requested in January 2024. Its permanent filing means that the project is extinguished: it cannot be reactivated under that same file. Any future attempt to develop that location would require initiating a new procedure from scratch.
What happened to the access and connection permits for the Tajo de la Encantada substation?
Access and connection permits to the Tajo de la Encantada 220 kV substation expired in May 2026, even before the withdrawal was formalized. This eliminated the technical feasibility of the project independently of the result of environmental processing.
What is the difference between ordinary and simplified environmental assessment for a wind park?
Ordinary environmental assessment is the complete procedure: it requires a detailed Environmental Impact Study, public information, consultations with administrations and organizations, and can extend between 18 and 36 additional months. Simplified assessment is more agile and applies to projects with lower potential impact. Being referred to ordinary assessment can make a project unfeasible in terms of timelines and development costs.
What impact does this cancellation have on renewable objectives in Spain?
The cancellation of Lagunillas represents the loss of 65.7 MW of wind capacity that will not be incorporated into the Spanish electrical system. Although an individual project does not compromise overall PNIEC objectives, the accumulation of cancellations due to environmental blockage does represent a systemic risk to meeting renewable installed capacity objectives.
Official source
Consult complete regulation in official source (BOE-A-2026-15110)
Notice: 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-2026-15110