From pv magazine Spain

Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has launched its first tender to allocate grid capacity at eight electricity transmission nodes in Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Galicia, and the Basque Country.

The total access capacity amounts to 3,681 MW and corresponds to nodes where major industrial developments have submitted requests.

These grid points are oversubscribed with applications from large consumers. Until now, each request was evaluated individually. Due to overloads at some nodes, a competitive process has been introduced. When grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE) receives a demand access request for a specific node, it publishes it on its website.

If additional requests are submitted within one month and available capacity is insufficient, the node is assigned to a tender among all interested parties who expressed interest during that period.

Applicants have one month to submit the required documentation. After review, which may include a report from REE, MITECO will resolve each tender within six months of the call. Developers must submit financial guarantees based on three criteria, amounting to €25/kW for each criterion. These guarantees will be returned once compliance is verified.

This is the first time demand access is allocated through a regulated tender using three evaluation criteria. The process marks a shift, giving preference to projects that reduce CO₂ emissions, such as electrifying industrial processes. After this initial criterion, projects will be scored based on investment size and expected commissioning timelines. The criteria include:

Emissions reduction (decarbonization impact)

Planned investment volume

Timeline for consumption start-up

The eligible nodes and available capacity are:

Arrigorriaga (Bizkaia) 400 kV – 993 MW

Brazatortas (Ciudad Real) 400 kV – 1,217 MW

Cristóbal Colón (Huelva) 220 kV – 503 MW

Francolí (Tarragona) 220 kV – 216 MW

Mercedes Benz (Vitoria) 220 kV – 387 MW

New Vigo 220 kV – 182 MW

Palos (Huelva) 220 kV – 277 MW

Terrer (Zaragoza) 400 kV – 410 MW

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