26th October 2016, “Spain’s ‘Sun Tax’ could be scrapped as new government takes charge”

Spain’s new minority government is set to herald a new wave of gigawatt-scale renewable tenders and its lack of a majority may even lead to the lifting of a controversial ‘Sun Tax’ on solar self-consumption.

Spain has been rudderless without a government since last year, but the Socialist Party (PSOE) has finally voted to allow the conservative Popular Party (PP) to rule as a minority government.

Confirming July’s news of a potential 3GW capacity in renewable energy tenders, secretary of state for energy Alberto Nadal has now said that one tender will be completed before the end of the year. Exact capacities and the terms of the tender are unclear, but industry bodies expect roughly 1GW this year followed by two tenders next year of a further 1-2GW.

Daniel Pérez, attorney at Holtrop S.L.P, who has worked on many of the legal cases on solar in Spain, told PV Tech that he is sceptical of the government organising the tender this year as the details have yet to be adopted and a similar promise was made last year for a wind and biomass tender, which was delayed to late January. He also dismissed speculation of a full 3GW capacity as more of a “demand by PV producers than a real number”.

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