{"id":205341,"date":"2026-02-23T15:29:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/its-electrical-grid-claims-to-be-full-while-actually-being-underutilized\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:30:00","slug":"its-electrical-grid-claims-to-be-full-while-actually-being-underutilized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/its-electrical-grid-claims-to-be-full-while-actually-being-underutilized\/","title":{"rendered":"Its Electrical Grid Claims to be “Full” While Actually Being Underutilized"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Energy Paradox in Spain<\/h2>\n

Spain is caught in a perplexing and costly energy paradox. Despite breaking renewable energy generation records<\/a>, the nation’s electrical system is currently facing an administrative “thrombosis” that jeopardizes reindustrialization. This situation is akin to a broken bridge: clean energy is generated in the sparsely populated “emptied Spain,” yet insufficient cables hinder its transport to urban areas where consumption is concentrated.<\/p>\n

The Administrative Bottleneck<\/h2>\n

Panic has erupted within the energy sector following the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) being compelled to delay the publication of access capacity maps by three months, from February to May 2026. Under new security criteria, approximately 90% of network nodes are marked as “red” or zero capacity. Interestingly, the network isn’t physically collapsed; instead, it is administratively “full” and underutilized. As a solution, the CNMC has proposed a transformative plan\u2014flexible access permissions\u2014to alleviate this bottleneck.<\/p>\n

The Perfect Storm<\/h3>\n

This unfortunate situation has emerged from a blend of bureaucratic inefficiencies, territorial imbalances, and speculation. There exists a substantial disconnect between the administrative timeline and actual execution: whereas constructing a substation typically takes about a year, the preceding administrative process can extend anywhere from three to six years. Additionally, while windmills and solar panels are installed where resources are available, the increasing demand in metropolitan areas lacks sufficient infrastructure, leading to 83.4% of current distribution nodes being saturated.<\/p>\n

The Direct Consequences<\/h2>\n

The ramifications for urban development are severe. Last year, only 12% of new connection requests for urban projects were approved, threatening the construction of 350,000 homes due to inadequate electrical power. Amidst this chaos, there exists a plethora of access requests\u201467,100 MW, equivalent to half of Spain’s total installed power\u2014raising suspicions about “ghost” projects that might be hoarding nodes for future resale.<\/p>\n

The End of the Binary Model<\/h3>\n

Historically, Spain’s electrical system operated on a rigid binary principle: access was either granted with full guarantees or completely denied. However, Secretary of State for Energy, Joan Groizard, recently revealed that the existing network remains underutilized, recalling that even a smaller network in the past handled much higher demand peaks. This necessitates a regulatory overhaul, allowing for shared access to residual capacity during off-peak hours and tapping into existing infrastructure without resorting to costly investments.<\/p>\n

New Flexible Access Permits<\/h2>\n

To facilitate this new paradigm, the CNMC has introduced four types of flexible access permits, each tailored to varying needs:<\/p>\n