The regulation for offshore wind power in Spain, published

The Spanish Government launches the long-awaited regulation for offshore wind

Last week we were talking about how the legislation on offshore wind in Spain was taking longer than desired. And also that it was expected to be published in the coming weeks.

Well, it seems that the Ministry must have heard our prayers because yesterday the royal decree was finally released for public information by which the auctions of offshore wind will be regulated. Or, in legislative language:

This royal decree establishes the regulation of the production of electrical energy in installations located at sea, in relation to the administrative authorizations that apply to them, as well as the economic regime and the mechanisms and procedures necessary for their granting.

After the publication of the Offshore Spatial Planning Plans, this is the next necessary step for offshore wind to become a reality in Spain one day.

The truth is that there are no big surprises, the most relevant aspects we had already anticipated in Windletter, but here are the most important points about the auctions:

• They will refer to one or several maritime zones, which may compete with each other for the allocation of power.
• They will simultaneously grant the tariff, the access capacity to the grid, and the use of the maritime space for a maximum period of 30 years.
• The auction may include up to 30% of non-economic criteria. These criteria may be related to the design of the project, to the environmental and landscape impact, to the socioeconomic impact, to the dismantling of the project, to the capacity to contribute to supply security and/or to the impact on maritime safety.
• There will be a reserve (maximum) price and a risk (minimum) price that may be confidential.
• Requirements may be established for participants that may be related to legal form, technical solvency, company experience, size, or other economic-financial aspects.

You can access the draft royal decree, and even submit comments, at this link. You can also read the Ministry’s press release (using a translator) with the summary of the main ideas.

After a period for comments (until March 25), we will have to wait for the first call to be finally launched, with Gran Canaria being the best positioned to be the first location.

Sergio Fdez MunguíaFeb 27