Red Eléctrica: Battery storage grid connections grew by only 40 MW between May and August 2026

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Official data from Red Eléctrica (REE) shows that as of August 2026, the country's grid-connected battery storage capacity stood at 260.8 MW, an increase of approximately 40 MW from 221 MW in May. The new capacity added over the past three months has been limited, while administrative construction permits (AAC) have been approved at a notably faster pace during the same period, creating a gap between grid connection progress and the volume of approved projects.

In contrast to grid connection progress, the pace of administrative construction permit (AAC) approvals has accelerated significantly. Industry data shows that approximately 700 MW of AAC capacity was approved in August alone, compared to less than 100 MW in the first few months of this year.

Álvaro Sotorrío, co-founder of Orka Energía, believes that the current grid connection pace remains slow, but he expects Spain to comfortably exceed 300 MW of operational battery capacity by the end of the year, and should approach 500 MW.

The discrepancy between REE's official grid-connected capacity figures and Orka Energía's operational registry stems from different criteria used to measure project progress. Sotorrío explains that REE counts a battery as connected from the moment it is grid-connected, whereas Orka Energía's tracking uses a later approval stage as a reference, tied to the operational administrative authorization and final facility registration. The company currently has approximately 150 MW of registered operational capacity, a figure that should not be confused with the official 260.8 MW of battery capacity published by REE.

Orka Energía expects that 500 to 600 MW could be added by the end of 2026, bringing its registered operational capacity to approximately 750 MW. This estimate is based on a large number of approved projects—following significant growth in the most recent quarter, approximately 2 GW of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects have now obtained administrative construction permits (AAC). The time required from obtaining an AAC to actual commercial operation explains why grid-connected capacity growth lags behind approved project growth.

According to Orka Energía's analysis, hybrid projects take an average of approximately 10 months from obtaining an AAC to receiving operational administrative authorization or final registration, while standalone battery projects require approximately 16 to 17 months. This difference in timelines suggests that grid connection speeds will accelerate in the coming months, with projects passing through various administrative stages in 2026 potentially translating into new grid-connected capacity.

Orka Energía's scenario forecasts for operational capacity as of December 31, 2026 include: a low-case scenario of approximately 334 MW, a base-case scenario of approximately 751 MW, and a high-case scenario of up to 1208 MW. Actual progress will depend on the speed at which each project completes its administrative, construction, grid connection, and commissioning phases.

In a power system with a growing share of renewable generation, battery storage can shift electricity across different time periods, absorb surplus solar generation, and provide flexibility to the system. August data should also be interpreted in light of seasonal factors, with Sotorrío noting that "everything declines in August." Progress in September and the final quarter of the year will be particularly critical in determining whether the acceleration in approvals ultimately translates into grid connection figures.

Compared with pumped hydro storage, the battery storage base remains relatively small. REE official data shows that in August 2026, Spain had 3331.4 MW of pumped hydro storage capacity and 260.8 MW of battery storage, bringing total storage capacity to 3592.2 MW.