Connection to the grid

• Law 24/2013
• RD 1183/2020
• Circular 1/2021 CNMC

RE producers shall apply for and obtain an access and a connection permit to the distribution and/or to the transmission network. Both permits are treated and processed as one single application, and the single point of contact for the applicant is the TSO or the DSO (article 5, RD 1183/2020).
The main steps are:
• The applicant must submit to the authority, proof of having deposited a financial guarantee of €40/kW installed (article 23, RD 1183/2020)
• Submission of request for access and connection permits to the TSO or DSO
• The authority assesses the availability of access capacity and the connection requirements
• If the authority accepts the request, it will communicate the conditions to the applicant, and if she accepts this pre proposal, the permits are issued.
• Once the project obtains all the required administrative authorizations, a technical access contract shall be signed between the parties (article 21, RD 1183/2020).
• Execution of connection works
• Connection of the plant to the grid

According to article 26.2 of Law 24/2013, producers of electricity from renewable energy sources and high-efficiency cogeneration shall have priority access and connection to the grid, under terms to be determined by regulation, based on objective, transparent and non-discriminatory criteria.
RD 1183/2020 established that the criterion for awarding the concession of access to the grid will be that of temporary priority, however, in order to promote the penetration of renewable energies, there are exceptions to this rule:
• In the cases of hybridisation of existing generation facilities
• In specific nodes where power capacity is made available, the government can call for an access capacity auction where only renewable energy project will be able to participate (articles 7, 18, and 27, RD 1183/2020).