Catalan Government Submits the Renewable Energy Territorial Plan (PLATER) for Public Consultation
On April 29, 2026, the Government of Catalonia published in the Official Gazette the notice issued by the Catalan Institute for Energy, submitting for public consultation the Draft Decree approving the Territorial Sectoral Plan for electricity generation, wind, and photovoltaic energy (PLATER), together with its Strategic Environmental Assessment. This instrument has a dual dimension: on the one hand, as a sectoral territorial planning tool aimed at distributing renewable energy projects across Catalonia in a balanced manner; and on the other, as a regulatory development of certain aspects of Decree-Law 16/2019 on energy transition. From a legal standpoint, the PLATER is binding on urban planning instruments, which must be consistent with its provisions, and it applies throughout the entire territory of Catalonia. Its main objectives include ensuring the orderly and sustainable deployment of renewable infrastructure, addressing territorial specificities, and facilitating the streamlining of related administrative procedures.
Within this framework, the PLATER establishes a detailed zoning of the territory by distinguishing between buildings, artificialized areas, and non-artificialized areas, the latter being further classified into suitable and unsuitable zones according to various regulatory, environmental, and local criteria. It also sets territorial priority levels for the implementation of energy projects and defines municipal targets for production and capacity in solar photovoltaic and wind energy, in accordance with principles of territorial solidarity. The plan further incorporates administrative simplification measures, declaring certain authorization procedures as urgent, particularly in priority areas or for projects promoted by public entities or energy communities. Finally, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are предусмотрed, to be carried out by the Catalan Institute for Energy, including the publication of data on open platforms. The draft is subject to a three-month public consultation period, open until July 29, 2026, with the aim of gathering comments.
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