€31.5 million investment in this Albacete town: plans to install 34 massive battery containers

A municipality in the province of Albacete could become the site of a new large-scale energy investment. Elawan Energy has submitted two projects to install 34 battery containers in Carcelén, with a total budgeted investment of 31,519,857.14 euros, aimed at incorporating electrical storage systems into two solar photovoltaic facilities.

The initiative is recorded in the Official State Gazette (BOE) of October 28, 2026, which publishes an announcement from the Industry and Energy Department of the Government Subdelegation in Albacete, submitting applications for prior administrative authorization and construction permits to public consultation.

The projects, named Elawan Ayora III Hybrid and Elawan Ayora IV Hybrid, would be developed entirely within the municipal boundaries of Carcelén and would allow the solar plants to incorporate two large battery systems capable of storing electricity for subsequent integration into the grid.

The initiative would represent a new energy storage project in the province of Albacete, where various companies are promoting facilities designed to complement renewable energy production through large-scale batteries.

Two facilities, each equipped with 17 battery containers

The official documentation outlines two independent storage systems, though they are closely linked through their connection to the existing photovoltaic plants in the area’s energy planning.

The first, named Elawan Ayora III Hybrid, would incorporate 17 battery containers, with an installed capacity of 18 MW and a usable storage capacity of 72 MWh.

The second, Elawan Ayora IV Hybrid, would have equivalent specifications, with another 17 containers, 18 MW of power, and an additional 72 MWh of usable storage capacity.

Together, the two projects would total 34 containers, 36 MW of installed capacity, and 144 MWh of usable storage, figures that reflect the scale of the facilities planned for Carcelén.

The distinction between power and storage capacity is significant. The 36 MW represents the combined electrical power of the systems, while the 144 MWh indicates the amount of energy they could store and subsequently deliver under the planned technical conditions.

The primary function of the batteries would be to enable more flexible management of electricity generated by renewable energy facilities, storing energy for subsequent transmission and commercialization.

More than 15 million euros for each project

The planned investment is distributed between the two projects with very similar, though not identical, amounts.

The Elawan Ayora III Hybrid project has a budget of 15,782,906.01 euros, while the corresponding budget for the Elawan Ayora IV Hybrid project amounts to 15,736,951.13 euros.

The total reaches 31,519,857.14 euros, as stated in the official announcement, a sum dedicated to the development of the two storage modules and their associated infrastructure.

The execution of the projects will depend on obtaining the corresponding authorizations and meeting the applicable technical and administrative conditions.

A 31.5 million euro investment in this town in Albacete: plans to install 34 huge battery containers

More than 200 electrical converters and six power stations

The two projects include a considerably more complex electrical infrastructure than the simple installation of the containers.

Each system would be equipped with 102 power converters, devices responsible for managing the transformation and circulation of electricity between the batteries and the power grid.

Of these 102 converters, 96 would be limited to a power of 176 kW and the remaining six to 184 kW, in accordance with the specifications provided by the manufacturer. Therefore, a total of 204 electrical converters is projected across both facilities.

Each project would also incorporate three power stations, individually equipped with a 9,000 kVA transformer. The combined operation would include six stations with their corresponding transformers.

This infrastructure would allow the integration of the battery systems with the photovoltaic generation facilities and manage the stored electricity before its transmission to the grid.

The batteries would be connected to two solar plants in Carcelén.

A key aspect of the project is that Elawan Energy does not propose these batteries as standalone installations, but rather as systems integrated with two solar power plants.

Elawan Ayora III Hybrid would be integrated with the Elawan Ayora III photovoltaic plant, which has a capacity of 20.99 MW.

Meanwhile, Elawan Ayora IV Hybrid would be connected to the Elawan Ayora IV solar plant, also with a capacity of 20.99 MW.

In this way, each combination of a photovoltaic plant and its storage system would achieve a hybrid installed capacity of 38.99 MW. The total of the two combinations would represent 77.98 MW of installed capacity, combining photovoltaic generation and battery storage. The hybridization of renewable energy facilities allows for the use of shared electrical infrastructure and provides greater flexibility in managing the generated energy.

Instead of relying solely on the times when solar panels generate electricity, storage systems allow part of that energy to be retained for later use, within the technical capabilities and limitations of the facilities.

Two underground connections and expansions of the electrical facilities

The documentation also specifies the works required to connect the new storage modules with the photovoltaic plants.

For Elawan Ayora III Hybrid, a connection via a 30-kilovolt underground electrical line is planned, with a trench length of 62 meters.

In the case of Elawan Ayora IV Hybrid, the connection would also be underground and have a nominal voltage of 30 kilovolts, although the planned trench would reach 106 meters.

The works would also include the expansion of the respective sectionalizing centers of the solar plants, located in the municipality of Carcelén.

The existing evacuation infrastructure beyond these centers connects with the Ayora 400 kV substation, located in the province of Valencia and owned by Red Eléctrica de España.

The announcement clarifies that the rest of that infrastructure, from the sectionalizing centers to its connection with the transmission grid, is not part of the scope of the projects currently subject to public information.

This detail is relevant because the new initiatives focus on incorporating energy storage and the necessary connections to integrate it with the photovoltaic facilities.

A procedure that shortens administrative processing times

The two projects are being processed jointly due to their close technical relationship and the use of common evacuation infrastructure.

The documentation states that the applications fall under the simplified procedure established for certain electrochemical storage facilities that are integrated into renewable energy projects that have already undergone environmental assessment.

This regime allows for a 50% reduction in certain administrative deadlines related to prior and construction permits.

It also provides for the exemption from the simplified environmental impact assessment procedure specific to the integration of batteries, provided that the batteries are located within the previously assessed perimeter of the original energy project and that the project holds a favorable environmental declaration or report.

The official announcement states that both projects meet the conditions to qualify for the simplified procedure. However, this does not mean that the projects are exempt from environmental obligations or that they can be executed automatically. The facilities remain subject to the corresponding administrative authorizations and applicable legal requirements.

The deadline for submitting objections has been opened.

The publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE) marks the opening of the public information procedure for the applications for prior administrative authorization and administrative construction authorization.

The body responsible for resolving these applications is the Directorate General for Energy and Mining Policy, which falls under the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. The processing of the application is handled by the Industry and Energy Department of the Albacete Provincial Office, which will receive any objections that interested individuals or entities may submit. The notice sets a 15-day period, starting from the day following its publication on October 28, 2026, to submit any relevant observations.

The documentation can be reviewed through the channels provided by the General State Administration and at the offices of the Government Subdelegation in Albacete, located at 7 Avenida de España.

Once the corresponding procedures are completed, the administration must issue a decision on the requested authorizations, taking into account the applicable technical and legal conditions for each project.

Carcelén, facing a new large-scale energy investment

Elawan Energy's initiative joins the various renewable energy generation and storage projects promoted in the province of Albacete in recent years.

Electrical storage is becoming one of the main development lines in the energy sector, especially in areas with a high presence of solar and wind facilities.

In Carcelén, the two proposed systems would allow adding a combined capacity of 144 MWh to the photovoltaic facilities intended for hybridization.

The budgeted investment exceeds 31.5 million euros, although the documentation submitted for public consultation does not yet establish a start date for construction, a definitive construction schedule, or the number of jobs that could be generated.

The administrative novelty is that Elawan Energy has formally requested the authorizations to develop two large-scale storage systems in Carcelén, with 34 battery containers, 36 MW of power, and a planned investment of 31,519,857.14 euros.

The outcome of the administrative process will determine whether both facilities ultimately obtain the necessary permits for their construction and subsequent operation.