The Government of Catalonia on Tuesday approved a decree aiming to streamline permitting for solar, wind, and battery projects and to regulate and incentivize BESS.

The decree does so by designating clean energy and energy storage projects as having “superior public interest” as they provide “technical services for infrastructure of public utility or social interest” on land which otherwise would be inappropriate for development. In that respect, the Catalonian government is bowing to a demand made by Spain’s Business Association of Batteries, Cells, and Energy Storage, and which the trade body says should be applied across the nation.

The decree introduces regulation for bigger-than-500 kW BESS by modifying Decree Law 16/2019, of November 26, which applies to climate emergency measures and the promotion of renewables. The legislation also includes BESS – whether standalone or linked to wind farms – in the scope of urban planning regulation.

The new law also restricts the grounds for raising legal objections to renewables and BESS sites.

The Catalonian government has 87 standalone BESS in its administrative pipeline, with a total power capacity of 920 MW, plus seven projects to be co-located with renewable energy sites, which have a total power capacity of 22 MW.

Spain’s Valencian community in July enacted Decree Law 7/2024 to simplify administrative procedures for renewable energy sites and to improve regulation of various sectors of the economy, with the aim of economic recovery.