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Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has launched its first-ever regulated tender for allocating demand-side grid access capacity across eight electricity transmission nodes. Located in Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Galicia, and the Basque Country, these nodes represent strategic points with high demand from industrial developments.
The total access capacity available under this tender amounts to 3,681 MW, and it applies to nodes where demand has exceeded available capacity. Until now, grid access requests were reviewed individually, but due to increasing saturation and overlapping requests, a competitive allocation process has been introduced.
Competitive Tender Mechanism
When Red Eléctrica de España (REE), the national grid operator, receives a demand access request at a specific node, it is publicly announced on the REE website. If additional requests for the same node are submitted within one month and exceed available capacity, MITECO will initiate a tender process for all interested applicants.
Applicants will then have one month to submit the required documentation. The evaluation process, which may include a technical report from REE, will conclude within six months from the official call. All applicants must submit financial guarantees of €25/kW for each of the three evaluation criteria. These guarantees will be returned upon verification of compliance.
Evaluation Criteria
This is the first time Spain is using a regulated tender system to allocate demand-side grid capacity based on three key criteria:
· Emissions Reduction
– Prioritizing projects that contribute to CO₂ emissions reduction, such as the electrification of industrial processes.
· Planned Investment Volume
– Evaluating the scale of the project in terms of financial commitment.
· Timeline for Consumption Start-Up
– Assessing the expected commissioning and operational schedule.
Transmission Nodes and Available Capacity
The eight nodes included in this tender and their respective available capacities 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
This process signals a significant paradigm shift in how industrial demand access to Spain’s transmission grid is managed—emphasizing efficiency, transparency, and alignment with Spain’s decarbonization goals.
