Villar Mir has received approval to build its Los Guájares reversible hydroelectric plant in Granada after the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge granted the prior administrative authorization and the construction authorization.

Administrative and Construction Authorizations Granted

The resolution, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), authorizes Hidroeléctrica Los Guájares, SLU, a company that previously operated under the name Villar Mir Energía, to build the plant and part of the associated electrical infrastructure.

The facility will have a turbining capacity of 356.93 megawatts (MW), a pumping capacity of 363.99 MW, and a storage capacity of 1.47 gigawatt hours (GWh), allowing electricity to be stored and later recovered through hydroelectric generation.

Location and technical configuration

The project will be located in the Granada municipalities of Vélez de Benaudalla, El Pinar, and Los Guájares and will evacuate electricity to the transport grid through the Saleres node, owned by Red Eléctrica de España (REE).

The installation will use the Rules reservoir as its lower deposit and will have an upper pond with a capacity of 1.4 cubic hectometers. The system will pump water to the elevated deposit when electricity is destined for storage and later recover it by turning the water to generate energy. The design contemplates a maximum hydraulic head of 638 meters and a maximum continuous turbining time of six hours.

The plant will feature two reversible vertical-shaft Francis turbines housed in a cavern. Its electrical infrastructure will include its own 220-kilovolt (kV) substation and a 6.66-kilometer high-voltage overhead line to the Mizán substation. From there, evacuation will continue through installations shared with other promoters up to the Saleres substation, where it will connect to the transport grid.

Modified parameters during processing

The project underwent changes during its administrative processing that modified its operating parameters. Turbining capacity increased from the 339.95 MW initially envisaged to the 356.93 MW authorised, while pumping capacity was reduced from 403.52 MW to 363.99 MW.

The design of the hydraulic intakes, the configuration of the upper pond and the routing of the electricity line were also revised to resolve interference with other infrastructure.

Existing permits and grid coordination

The project holds the access and connection permits to the transport grid, as well as a concession for the hydroelectric exploitation granted by the Junta de Andalucía in June 2020.

In addition, the promoters of several renewable installations, including Hidroeléctrica Los Guájares, signed an agreement in May 2026 to coordinate the evacuation of energy at the Saleres node.

Authorization conditional on environmental requirements

The approval comes after the project obtained a favourable environmental impact declaration in August 2025. Nevertheless, the construction authorization is subject to compliance with the environmental and technical conditions established by the competent administrations, including measures for the protection of flora and fauna, habitat restoration, the prevention of hydrological impacts, and the protection of archaeological heritage.

The promoter must accredit compliance with the required conditions before obtaining the operating authorization, which is necessary to put the installation into service.

The resolution establishes that the maximum deadline for holding this permit may not exceed twelve years from the granting of the access and connection permits, including any extensions provided for in the regulations.

Timeline for the operating authorization

In the case of Los Guájares, the promoter obtained an extension in July 2025 of the deadline for accrediting the milestone relating to the definitive operating authorization for testing, which was set at 24 June 2032. This date constitutes an administrative deadline and not a confirmed forecast of the plant's entry into operation.

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