en.Wedoany.com Reported - Six major Spanish electricity and energy storage industry associations recently signed a framework agreement to unify their stance on the launch of permits for flexible demand-side access to distribution grids, in response to a surge in grid connection applications driven by accelerated economic electrification, growth in new industrial projects, and the rise of the energy storage sector. Signatories include the Spanish Association of Electric Power Companies (Aelec, whose members include Endesa, Iberdrola, and EDP), the Spanish Association of Electricity Distributors (Cide), the Spanish Association of Electric Power Companies (Aseme), the Spanish Association of Battery and Energy Storage Companies (Aepibal), the Spanish Energy Storage Association (Asealen), and the Spanish Aggregation and Flexibility Association (Entra). This agreement comes as Spain's National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) reviews a draft resolution aimed at establishing a regulatory framework for flexible distribution grid access. The associations argue that current capacity maps show severe congestion at numerous distribution nodes, making flexible access a realistic solution for absorbing new demand and storage without waiting years for new power infrastructure. The framework recently introduced by Royal Decree-Law 7/2026 (RDL 7/2026) further reinforces this logic, preventing storage from occupying fixed grid capacity and thereby supporting hybrid access and operational models.
The CNMC's regulatory proposal defines three types of flexible permits, each offering different levels of supply guarantee and capacity availability. Type 0 permits apply to access limited to specific time periods predefined by time patterns, where users cannot use the acquired capacity outside these restricted periods; Type 1 permits are fully flexible, allowing users to connect to the grid node, but the distribution company may interrupt capacity supply during grid congestion or emergency situations; Type 2 permits combine a fixed guaranteed capacity with additional flexible capacity, providing users with a stable guaranteed power capacity and access to extra capacity when grid operation permits. The agreement particularly highlights the role of flexible permits in accelerating battery integration, especially at grid nodes where new fixed demand applications cannot currently be met. The industry believes this mechanism can promote the development of energy storage and industrial electrification projects in saturated areas, utilizing available time slots or interruptible capacity, and serving as a key tool to improve the effective utilization of existing grids during the construction period of new infrastructure investments.
The document emphasizes the need to establish uniform standards across distribution companies and facilitate the gradual evolution of different permit types. Signatories argue that regulatory and technical deployment must be accelerated, while strengthening coordination among regulators, grid operators, and users. The industry has identified three priorities for completing the regulatory process: rapid approval of the regulatory framework to prevent projects from stalling or relocating due to market waiting; shaping the future resolution into a dynamic, revisable framework subject to periodic review based on real-world experience; and clarifying billing rules for capacity charges related to flexible access, where charges should not apply during periods when users cannot utilize capacity, while advancing flexible tariff models that adjust rate cycles based on actual distribution grid operating conditions.
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