Wind Energy Plan of the Valencian Community

By project BIOWIND

Published on 10 July 2024

Spain

Comunitat Valenciana

About this good practice

First approval: Agreement of July 26, 2001, by the Valencian Government, approving the Wind Energy Plan of the Valencian Community.
Last mod.: DECREE LAW 14/2020, of August 7, by the Council.
The Plan is divided into 3 phases:
The first phase defines areas suitable for wind farm implementation, considering resource availability, environmental and urban constraints, and transportation networks. An Environmental Impact Assessment analyzes the environmental characteristics and impacts of potential areas, establishing exclusion criteria for incompatible zones. Corrective measures are prescribed for compatible areas, both generically and specifically. Non-urbanizable lands are declared compatible for urban planning purposes.
After identifying potential wind energy utilization areas, they are distributed into homogeneous zones based on installable power, with maximum and minimum values. These areas are then eligible for competitive tendering, allowing private operators to bid for exploitation rights.
The second phase outlines the legal framework for granting wind installations, including procedures, obligations, burdens, and duties of promoters. It also defines the strategies to achieve the Plan's objectives and the desired final scenario.
The Plan simplifies procedures for promoters and delineates suitable exploitation areas. Additionally, it provides a web viewer with all Plan information and details on projects under processing and operation.

Resources needed

It's need a high level of coordination among administrations, personnel and financial capacity to conduct the study of suitable areas, coordinate bids from promoters, and a cartographic viewer that integrates and facilitates information to the public.

Evidence of success

On the provided website, you can verify the implementation of measures, as the Environmental Impact Statements of awarded companies projects are available, categorized by zones. Additionally, the viewer displays projects under processing and in operation. Following meetings with stakeholders of the BIOWIND project (Murcia), they highlighted both the plan and the web viewer as valuable tools in expediting their projects.

Potential for learning or transfer

The viewer tool is easily replicable, involving gathering available information and uploading it to a web viewer.
Replicating this renewable energy planning approach requires strong teamwork among diverse competent authorities at multiple levels. The division of study areas has notably facilitated local engagement, particularly during the consultation phase of the Environmental Impact Assessment. The Plan introduces a range of measures for wind farms that hold potential applicability to other areas.