en.Wedoany.com Reported - The government of Spain's Balearic Islands has suspended approvals for new photovoltaic projects on rural land, while investing €11.3 million to build two floating solar power plants on irrigation ponds, aiming to expand renewable energy capacity without occupying additional agricultural land. The moratorium, now in effect, temporarily halts priority pathways related to public utility declarations and the region's energy interests for a maximum of two years. During this period, the island government will develop new renewable energy and storage plans, which will be incorporated into the overall energy industry master plan upon approval. This plan will define areas suitable for new projects and installation standards that balance energy, territorial protection, agriculture, and landscape values. The moratorium is not retroactive and does not affect projects that have already obtained grid access and connection permits, nor does it apply to self-consumption facilities or capacity expansions and hybrid retrofits of existing plants.
The approved funds will be used for two lots implemented by the Balearic Institute of Energy (IBE): one involves building a floating photovoltaic plant with a nominal power of 2,800 kW on irrigation ponds in Polygon 6, Plots 7 and 35 of Artà, Mallorca; the other involves constructing a 499.8 kW plant on irrigation ponds in Polygon 12, Plot 133 of Ciutadella, Menorca. Together, these two projects add approximately 3.3 MW of capacity without occupying rural land. This initiative is part of IBE's irrigation pond solarization plan, which aims to utilize surfaces already affected by human activity to accelerate deployment in areas where land availability is a major constraint for new energy development. Previously, in April, a 1.4 MW floating plant was commissioned on an irrigation pond in Inca, generating approximately 2,200 MWh annually, funded by the EU's Next Generation EU fund. In 2025, Capdepera launched the largest floating photovoltaic plant in the islands at that time, consisting of 2,528 solar modules spread over 9,120 square meters, with a peak power of 1.48 MW. Subsequent planned projects in Santa Eulària (0.5 MW), Artà (2.8 MW), and Ciutadella (0.5 MW) will also be completed, making the Balearic Islands one of the regions in Spain most institutionally supportive of floating photovoltaic technology.
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