A draft of Royal Decree-Law 7/2025 proposes a set of urgent measures intended to reinforce the stability of the electricity system and respond to a growing public debate about the reliability of renewable energies. While the regulation is still pending approval scheduled for July 22, 2025 its content lays the groundwork for a more robust and flexible integration of renewable generation, especially photovoltaic (PV), should it be enacted.
Context: from risk to opportunity
The draft of RDL 7/2025 emerges amid increasing public debate over supply security following incidents of voltage dips in the system. In response to media narratives portraying renewables as unstable, the Executive—supported by the PV sector, represented by UNEF—has put forward a regulatory package designed to strengthen the system without halting the energy transition.
If approved, this would positively impact the PV sector by streamlining project permitting, enabling battery hybridization without penalties, introducing provisional operating authorizations to move forward while waiting for shared infrastructure, and extending shared self-consumption to 5 km. It also reinforces dispatch priority for hybrid PV plants and reduces administrative burdens, accelerating deployment and improving profitability.
Main measures
proposed
1. Strengthening operational control
- Mandates to the system operator (REE) to increase grid resilience.
- New protocols for voltage control management.
- Revision of penalties for technical non-compliance.
2. More agile grid planning
- Electricity planning will now be triennial (instead of sexennial).
- The specific modification of the transmission grid is enabled on a biannual basis, without the need for prior reports from the CNMC or the Autonomous Regions in justified cases.
3. More rational renewable deployment
- Suspension of deadlines for project milestones paralyzed by precautionary measures (including those already extended).
- New figure: Provisional Operating Authorization for Tests (AEPp) that allows to advance procedures without waiting for shared infrastructures.
Boost to storage and flexibility
Energy storage becomes a key part of the new model:
- Stand-alone storage is declared a public utility.
- Environmental obstacles are eliminated for hybridized batteries (<50 MW) within the already evaluated polygon.
- It is allowed to hybridize in direct current without this counting as an increase in power.
- The dispatch priority for PV + battery hybrid installations is reinforced.
Other high impact proposals
- Flexibility in installed power limits, allowing firmware-based limitations certified by the manufacturer.
- Repowering permitted up to +25% capacity with up to 50% reduction in processing times.
- For RECORE 2025 installations, the minimum required equivalent hours are reduced by 25%, improving profitability
A strategic rule with a system vision
Though still pending parliamentary validation, RDL 7/2025 represents a strategic shift in Spain’s energy policy. It aims not only to unblock delayed projects but also to modernize the regulatory framework to reflect a new energy landscape—one that is renewable, decentralized, and digital.
Final approval is expected to be debated and potentially confirmed on July 22, 2025. Until then, its provisions remain provisional and subject to change.
Access the draft decree and follow updates on its
parliamentary process via UNEF: Read more.