Barcelona, the Catalan government says several major energy and water projects across Catalonia are still waiting on decisions from the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition. Officials describe the situation as a bureaucratic blockade in Madrid, with projects seen as important for the current legislative term still pending, according to sources cited by El Periódico.
Among the projects affected are a reversible hydroelectric plant at the Baells reservoir in Berguedà, the dismantling of the Cercs thermal power station, new desalination plants, and the Plemcat experimental offshore wind platform in the Gulf of Roses, Alt Empordà. The Generalitat says other requests are also still awaiting ministerial approval.
Sources familiar with the situation say the delays are not limited to Catalonia, and point to wider backlogs inside the ministry. The article also notes that the final presentation of Spain’s new electricity plan for 2030 is still pending, along with the six-year report on the conservation status of wolves, which Brussels has already warned Spain about.
For the Baells project, the Generalitat wants to know whether the state electricity plan will include the grid connection needed to make the reversible plant viable. The government also wants more grid capacity and new connection points in Barcelona and other parts of Catalonia, which it says are needed for industrial, energy, housing and electrification projects. The Cercs case is linked to the old thermal station, which the local council wants dismantled because of its condition and contaminating materials.
Water infrastructure is also affected. The Catalan government is waiting on funding and final tender steps for the Tordera II plant in Blanes and the Foix plant in Cubelles. In 2023, Teresa Ribera and David Mascort said the ministry would fund the plants through European funds. The Generalitat now expects Tordera II to be operational by 2030 at the earliest, while there is still no clear timetable for Foix.
Other delays include the environmental authorisation for Plemcat, which the Generalitat says has been under review for more than two years, and the Ebro Delta plan, where the government says there has been no significant progress on measures to tackle coastal regression and sediment recovery. The Generalitat says it remains in regular contact with the ministry while waiting for formal responses on the outstanding files.