The government of the Spanish region of Galicia announced on Monday that it has approved the construction of nearly 70 wind farms, with an investment exceeding EUR 1.8 billion (USD 1.95 billion) and the installation of 1,824.6 MW of new generation capacity.
Following the securing of environmental licenses, 69 projects have been authorized for construction, with one more still pending approval, according to the regional government.
Spain's central government has set a deadline of July 25 for wind and other renewable energy projects to obtain construction licenses. Galicia's government noted that it met this deadline thanks to a streamlined permitting process that allows simultaneous processing and approval of applications for consent and construction.
In Spain, regional governments are responsible for permitting power projects with capacities below 50 MW, while larger projects are handled by the central government's Ministry for the Ecological Transition.
Additionally, the Socialist Party, which governs at the central level, announced on Monday that Madrid will soon issue construction licenses for three wind farm projects in Galicia. These projects, with a combined capacity of 278 MW, will supply electricity to Alcoa Corp's aluminium production complex in San Ciprian.
The three projects are the 126-MW Barqueiro, 50.4-MW Moeche, and the 102.4-MW Badulaque wind farms. They join the previously approved 50.4-MW Tesouro and the 161-MW Santuaro wind projects, which are also intended to power Alcoa's San Ciprian complex and ensure its economic viability amid high energy prices.
