Spain pledges auction and permitting reform by signing wind charter

Teresa Ribera, Spain’s ecological transition and demographic challenge minister, officially announced the package to delegates at the conference’s opening session, describing it as a “commitment” for the country’s future energy transition towards renewables. 

She said it was “clear” that wind and renewables offered the best path towards the “transformation of the energy system based on renewable energies and with great prominence on the part of the wind industry.” 

The Spanish wind charter aligns the country with the European wind charter signed by EU member states, including Spain, plus major wind industry firms and organisations, last year. 

It includes commitments for reformed auction design to emphasise qualitative, non-price criteria such as environmental protection and working conditions, the monitoring of international markets to minimise unfair competition, and plans to reduce market volatility through long-term agreements. 

“It’s great that Spain is now delivering on that [European wind charter] commitment by signing a national wind charter spelling out the actions the government and industry are going to take. Good auction design, faster permitting, support for Spain’s excellent wind industry – bring it on,” said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson, who led the conference’s opening session. 

The Spanish charter was signed by national wind energy association AEE alongside the country’s government. 

“The signing of the wind energy charter demonstrates that wind is one of the key technologies for the transition to renewable energy sources, and projects an image of Spain in the international arena as a driving force, a benchmark country with the conviction to achieve open industrial autonomy in clean technologies,” Juan Diego Díaz, president of AEE, said.