Spain’s Secretary of State for Energy, Joan Groizard, promised the Basque government in Gatika (Biscay) 2.3 gigawatts of new grid connections. The allocation was announced on 21 September 2026 at the start of a round of talks with the autonomous communities and, according to the ministry, amounts to around 8.3 per cent of the 27.7 gigawattsprovided for in the first version of the plan. The ministry chose the location and date on the sidelines of a visit to the electricity interconnector with France currently under construction at the Golfo de Vizcaya.
The Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico revised its network plan for 2025 to 2030 after reviewing more than 2,500 submissions. Compared with the original proposal, the number of connection points has risen by about 52 per cent. At the same time, the investment budget has been increased by around 3.4 billion euros, from an initial 13.6 billion euros to as much as 17.0 billion euros. The changes mainly concern the high-voltage transmission grid, alongside additional measures for distribution networks.
According to the ministry, the plan is intended to prioritise major industrial projects, electrification and storage. The first proposal included 27.7 gigawatts of new connections to the transmission network, plus a further 5.3 gigawatts to support distribution networks. The expanded number of connection points could bring additional capacity; the ministry did not specify the exact increase on Monday. Groizard is also beginning a series of bilateral meetings to explain each region’s access under the new plan.
For the Basque Country links the allocation to energy and industrial policy goals. The regional government announced that it would use the state commitment to secure sites and expand the grid. Madrid points to ongoing coordination with the other autonomous communities and the parliamentary process still to come before the plan is finalised.
It remains unclear which specific projects will be prioritised in each territory and by how many gigawatts the total connectable capacity will exceed the 27.7 gigawatts in the first version. The procedural framework, however, is clear: the revised plan draws on the public consultation, will be coordinated technically with Red Eléctrica and must then be formally approved. The timetable aims to finalise allocations in a way that makes investment in generation, networks and storage predictable through to 2030.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).