Royal Decree-law 7/2026: renewables acceleration areas and the environmental assessment of energy projects

6 of April, 2026

In this paper we outline the changes introduced by Royal Decree-law 7/2026 to the environmental impact assessment procedure: first, through the creation and regulation of renewables acceleration areas (RAAs), wherein renewable energy projects will be exempt from environmental impact assessments, and, second, by modifying certain aspects of the environmental impact assessment for energy generation and storage projects, as well as for transmission and distribution facilities.